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Mars Inc.

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Mars Inc. is a massive American multinational corporation. It manufactures many different products for people and animals. The company makes confectionery, which is a word for candy and sweets. It also produces pet food and various other food products. Beyond making goods, it provides professional animal care services.

Old Mars Logo
Old Mars Logo

Mars is a privately held company. This means it is entirely owned by the Mars family. In 2022, the company reported annual sales of US$45 billion. This high amount made it the fourth-largest privately held company in the United States.

The company organizes its global work into four main subsidiaries. The Snacking division is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its U.S. offices are also located in New Jersey. The Petcare division operates in Belgium and Mexico. The Food division is based in Rancho Dominguez, California. Finally, Mars Edge serves as the company's life sciences division in Maryland. These branches allow the company to manage many different industries at once.

The history of Mars began with Frank Mars. He founded the Mars Candy Factory on June 23, 1911. He worked with his second wife, Ethel V. Mars, in Tacoma, Washington. Their first business venture failed because a more established business was already there. By 1920, Frank moved to Minnesota. He founded the Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis. This business eventually became Mars, Incorporated. The company moved to Chicago in 1929 to begin full production.

Innovation helped the company grow through new candy bars. In 1923, Frank's son, Forrest Mars Sr., suggested a new idea. He wanted a candy bar based on a chocolate malted milk milkshake. Frank used Minneapolis nougat to create the Milky Way bar. This became a best-selling product. In 1930, Frank created the Snickers bar. He also introduced the 3 Musketeers bar in 1932.

The Mars Wrigley manufacturing plant in Cleveland, Tennessee, produces M&Ms and Twix bars 01
The Mars Wrigley manufacturing plant in Cleveland, Tennessee, produces M&Ms and Twix bars 01

These products helped establish the brand's fame.

Forrest Mars Sr. also helped expand the company internationally. He moved to Great Britain to start Mars Limited. He launched the Mars bar in the town of Slough. This version was a great success. Over many decades, he grew the British company. Eventually, in 1964, Forrest took control of his father's Chicago company. He merged the two separate companies into one single Mars entity. This merger created the global company we recognize today.

Mars has grown significantly by purchasing other famous companies. In 2001, it bought the Lucas candy company. In 2007, the purchase of Doane Petcare increased its presence in the U.S. pet food market. In 2008, Mars bought the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company for $23 billion. This deal included the world's largest chewing gum producer. In 2020, Mars bought the snack company Kind North America for $5 billion. Most recently, Mars acquired Kellanova for $35.9 billion. This was the largest acquisition of 2024.

The Mars Wrigley manufacturing plant in Cleveland, Tennessee, produces M&Ms and Twix bars 01
The Mars Wrigley manufacturing plant in Cleveland, Tennessee, produces M&Ms and Twix bars 01

The company manages many different brands with different names. For example, the Milky Way is called 3 Musketeers in America. In the United Kingdom, the Snickers bar was once called Marathon. Some brands like Skittles and Starburst actually started in the United Kingdom. Mars also has a large presence in animal nutrition. Forrest Mars Sr. helped start the pet food industry in Europe. He turned Kal Kan dog food into Pedigree. He also turned Kal Kan cat food into Whiskas. By 1994, Mars was the leading pet food company in the world.

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File:Old Mars Logo.svg
Old Mars Logo.svg
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