Mars, Inc. is an American global manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food
products with US$30 billion in annual sales in 2012, and is ranked as the 3rd largest
privately held company in the United States by Forbes.
Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, US, the company is entirely
owned by the Mars family.
Mars operates in six business segments in the US: Chocolate, Petcare, Wm.
Wrigley Jr.
Company, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience.
History Mars was founded by Frank C. Mars and is a
company that is known for the confectionery items that it creates, such as Milky Way,
M&M's, Twix, Skittles, Snickers, and the Mars bar.
They also produce non-confectionery snacks, such as Combos, and other foods, including
Uncle Ben's Rice and pasta sauce brand Dolmio, as well as pet foods, such as Whiskas and
Pedigree brands.
Orbit gum is among the most popular brands, managed by the Mars subsidiary brand Wrigley.
During World War II, Wrigley was selling their eponymous gum only to soldiers, while Orbit
was the gum made available to the public.
Though abandoned shortly after the war, about 60 years later Orbit made a comeback in America
during the gum craze.
Frank C. Mars, whose mother taught him to hand dip candy, sold candy by age 19.
The Mars Candy Factory he started in 1911 with Ethel V. Mars, his second wife, in Tacoma,
Washington.
This factory produced and sold fresh candy wholesale, but ultimately, the venture failed.
By 1920, Frank Mars had returned to his home state, Minnesota, where the earliest incarnation
of the present day Mars was founded that year as Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis and later
incorporated there as Mars, Incorporated.
Forrest Mars, son of Frank Mars and his first wife, who was also named Ethel, was inspired
by a popular type of milkshake in 1923, to introduce the Milky Way bar, advertised as
a "chocolate Malted Milk in a candy bar", and became the best-selling candy bar.
In 1929, Frank moved the company to Chicago, Illinois and started full production in a
plant which still exists today.
In 1932, Forrest started Mars Limited in the United Kingdom, and launched the Mars bar.
Mars is still a family-owned business, belonging to the Mars family.
The company is famous for its secrecy.
A 1993 Washington Post Magazine article was a rare raising of the veil, as the reporter
was able to see the "M"s being applied to the M&M's, something that "no out-sider had
ever before been invited to observe."
In 1999, for example, the company did not acknowledge that Forrest Mars, Sr., had died
or that he had worked for the company.
The company published its Principles in Action communication in September 2011.
This communication outlines the history of Mars, its legacy as a business committed to
its Five Principles and the company’s goal of putting its Principles into action to make
a difference to people and the planet through performance.
Encompassing themes of Health and Nutrition, Supply Chain, Operations, Products and Working
at Mars, the Principles in Action communication outlines Mars Incorporated’s targets, progress,
and ongoing challenges.
It also describes its businesses – including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks
and Symbioscience.
Mars, Incorporated has developed a reputation across its leading markets to be excellent
training grounds for managers.
In the United Kingdom for instance, many CEOs of large companies learned their trade at
Mars, Inc., including former Mars executives Allan Leighton and Justin King, the former
appointed CEO of the supermarket chain Asda and then the British postal service Royal
Mail, with the latter presently the CEO of the retailer J Sainsbury plc.
Recently, the company caught on to that and re-branded their employer brand to "Mars —
The Ultimate Business School".
Moving into the fourth generation of family ownership, the company recently passed from
family leadership into non-family leadership; however, the business is still owned by the
family.
The global CEO of Mars, Inc. is Paul Michaels.
Michaels is part of a new group of non-family management that has taken over since the retirement
of John and Forrest Mars, Jr..
The family now oversees the business as a council or board of directors.
In the United States the company has manufacturing facilities in Hackettstown, New Jersey; Albany,
Georgia; Burr Ridge, Chicago and Mattoon, Illinois; Cleveland, Tennessee; Columbia,
South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania; Greenville, Mississippi; Greenville
and Waco, Texas; Henderson and Reno, Nevada; Vernon, California; Fort Smith, Arkansas;
Joplin, Missouri; Miami, Oklahoma; and Galena, Kansas.
Their Canadian facilities are located in Bolton and Newmarket, Ontario.
Recent history Mars's purchase of Doane Petcare Company in
June 2007 significantly increased its position in the U.S. dry pet food category.
In addition to these businesses, Mars also operates a chain of premium chocolate shops
across the United States called Ethel M Chocolates.
These shops are an outgrowth of the Ethel M premium chocolate business that Forrest
Mars started in Las Vegas in 1980 when he became bored with retirement.
On April 28, 2008, Mars, Incorporated, together with Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated, announced
the buyout of Wm.
Wrigley Jr.
Company, the world's largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion in an all-cash deal.
The two companies together are expected to generate sales in excess of $27 billion.
The company spent more than $1.8 million on lobbying during 2008, almost all of it at
Patton Boggs, where it has long been one of the largest lobbying clients.
Mars also spent $10,000 at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
In 2009, Mars also hired Ernst & Young to lobby on corporate and international tax issues,
including issues related to tax changes proposed by the Obama administration.
The company spent another $1,655,000 that year.
Until sold in June 2006, a division of Mars known as Mars Electronics International produced,
among other products, coin mechanisms such as those used in vending machines.
MEI also manufactured bill validators, which were among the most common bill validators
found in the US.
A further Mars business — Four Square — utilize those products formerly made at MEI
in their vending machines.
Four Square comprises the Flavia and Klix brands.
Flavia operates within the US, UK and Japanese markets, while Klix operates within UK, Germany
and France.
In 2007, Mars undertook a major rebranding operation which saw, among other global changes,
Four Square being renamed to Mars Drinks, the pet food division being renamed to Mars
Petfoods and Masterfoods itself being renamed to Mars Snacks.
In 2014, Mars opened a new $270 million chocolate plant in Topeka, Kansas, the first new plant
in the USA in 35 years.
Masterfoods The European division is headquartered in
Brussels, Belgium, and was known as Masterfoods Europe until the end of 2007.
The name Masterfoods originally came from a food business founded by the Lewis family
in 1949 in Australia, and acquired by Mars in 1967.
The Canadian division is based in Bolton, Ontario.
The company announced at the end of 2008 that all business units were adopting the name
Mars.
Masterfoods ceased to be a business name but continues as the brand name of food products
in Australia.
Mars Petcare In February 2003, Mars acquired Aquarium Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. and in 2007 it was renamed Mars Fishcare, Inc.
The company manufactures and supplies home aquarium and pond products.
Mars Fishcare brands include: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, RENA, AQUARIAN, and PondCare.
In Australia, the division operates three sites that are located in Wodonga, Victoria;
Bathurst, New South Wales; and Brisbane, Queensland.
Mars Food UK Limited Mars Food UK Limited is the name of the British
branch of Mars, Inc.
The company is based in Slough, UK.
Mars brands manufactured for the UK market but not for the US include Maltesers and Tunes.
In 1932, Forrest Mars, Sr., opened what was then Mars headquarters, and remains Mars headquarters
in Slough, Berkshire on the then-new Slough Trading Estate, after a disagreement with
his father, Franklin Clarence Mars.
In this factory, he produced the first Mars bar, based on the American Milky Way.
In 1936, Mars separated the vanilla version of Milky Way to a separate brand, Forever
Yours, which was discontinued and later reintroduced as Milky Way Dark and later still, Milky Way
Midnight.
Many brands first created and sold in Britain were later introduced in the U.S., including
Starburst, Skittles.
The brands Twix, Snickers and Topic were UK based.
Milky Way in Europe and worldwide is known as the 3 Musketeers in America.
Similarly, the Snickers bar was previously marketed in Ireland and the United Kingdom
as Marathon until 1990; in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, also until 1990;
Galaxy in the Middle East is known as Dove in America; and Starburst was known in the
UK and Ireland as Opal Fruits until 1998.
Chocolate and peanut M&M's were introduced in 1990.
Factories The two factories in Slough were located on
Liverpool Road and Dundee Road; the one on Liverpool Road closed in 2007, with Twix and
Starburst production moving to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
In 1963 a large factory was opened in Veghel, The Netherlands.
This factory has currently the biggest production volume of Mars factories and is even one of
the biggest chocolate factories in the world.
Most confectionery products for Europe are produced in Slough and Veghel.
The major production plant for Mars confectionery products in Australia is in Ballarat, Victoria.
Mars Drinks UK Mars Drinks UK, the beverages division of
Mars Limited, operates from Basingstoke in Hampshire and specialises in office vending
machines.
Mars Drinks UK comprises the FLAVIA and KLIX brands which offer branded drinks such as
the Starburst Orange Drink, the Maltesers Hot Chocolate and the Galaxy drinks.
Mars Drinks also produces coffee and the equipment used to make it.
In 1982 FLAVIA was created out of the high demand for coffee in the United Kingdom.
Initially marketed as Dimension 3 until 1989, FLAVIA was introduced in France and Germany
in 1986 and Japan in 1992 then brought to the United States in 1996 and to Canada in
1997.
Other products such as cappuccino were introduced in 2002 and tea in 2004.
Consumer relations Opposition to labeling of genetically engineered
ingredients in California Throughout 2012, Mars contributed $376,650
to a $46 million political campaign known as "The Coalition Against The Costly Food
Labeling Proposition, sponsored by Farmers and Food Producers" This organization was
set up to oppose a "Proposition 37," demanding mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically
modified ingredients.
Criticism From May 1, 2007, many Mars products made
in the UK became unsuitable for vegetarians.
The company announced that it would be using whey made with animal rennet, instead of using
rennet made by microorganisms, in products including Mars, Twix, Snickers, Maltesers,
Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way.
The response from many thousands of consumers, particularly the Vegetarian Society's request
for UK vegetarians to register their protests with Mars, generated a lot of press, and caused
the company to abandon these plans shortly thereafter.
It has reportedly decided to switch to all-vegetarian sources in the near future in the UK.
On 18-Sep-2012, the 15-Jan-2010 press release could not be found in the "Press Releases"
section of the Mars website; in Canada, the URL [1] redirected to the webpage, [2].
In January 2008, the Metro newspaper reported that Mars had allegedly begun to incorporate
animal-derived rennet.
Mars has come under criticism by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for funding
animal tests which the group alleges are inhumane.
One study was conducted in collaboration with the Salk Institute regarding angiogenesis
and spatial memory in which mice were given an ad libitum diet that included epicatechin,
plant-derived flavonoid.
One of the experiments involved groups of control and experimental animals, the latter
of which were housed in a cage that included a running wheel for optional exercise for
two hours a day, the former did not have access to a running wheel.
Another experiment was the classical spacial memory assay, the Morris water maze.
The study showed that the inclusion of epicatechin in the diet improved memory and angiogenesis,
and more so if coupled with exercise.
Mars has been criticized for buying cocoa beans from West African farmers who reportedly
use unpaid or poorly paid child laborers.
In 2009, Mars announced that the company would work towards only purchasing cocoa from suppliers
who meet environmental, labour and production standards.
TransFair USA, an organization which certifies products as Fair Trade, applauded the move
and expressed hope that it would include a provision for fair wages for laborers and
farmers.
In 2010, Mars Inc. received the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence.
In April 2010, Mars launched the MyCocoaPaper initiative, which claims to provide economic
opportunities to women and families in Indonesia by making paper products out of cocoa bark
and recycled office paper.
In 2011, Mars and Fairtrade International announced an agreement to introduce the first
Fairtrade labeled Mars product and to work together to enable farmers to have sustainable
livelihoods and substantially increased productivity.
The first Mars product to carry the Fairtrade mark will be Maltesers, to appear in stores
in 2012 in the UK and Ireland.
Products Many Mars products are household, famous-name
brands.
Some of these product lines are manufactured by Mars; others are manufactured by The Wrigley
Company.
Products for human consumption
Products manufactured by The Wrigley Company
Products for pet consumption
Discontinued product lines Bisc &
Cookies & Pacers
PB Max Royals
Spangles Summit Candy Bar
Banjo Candy Bar Services
Banfield, The Pet Hospital Awards and Honors
The company was named by Fortune magazine as one of the top 100 companies to work for
in 2013, citing the example that employees of the pet food division can take their dogs
to work.
See also
Big Chocolate List of food companies
References
Further reading Stephen Beckett, Industrial Chocolate Manufacture
and Use, Fourth Edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 2008, ISBN 978-1-4051-3949-6.
External links Official website
Mars local site links Masterfoods site
Mars Cocoa Sustainability Initiative Mars, Incorporated companies grouped at OpenCorporates
Mars Symbioscience Businesses: Symbioscience
Mars Botanical