Mars Inc.
Privately held multinational confectionery and pet food manufacturer.
Rob Mieremet / Anefo · CC0
Mars, Incorporated (doing business as Mars Inc.) is an American multinational that makes candy, pet food, other food products, and provides animal care services. It was founded on June 23, 1911, and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. The company is fully owned by the Mars family. In 2022, it reported US$45 billion in annual sales, and that year Forbes ranked it as the fourth-largest privately held company in the United States.
Mars operates through four global subsidiaries: Snacking (based in Chicago, Illinois, with U.S. offices in Hackettstown and Newark, New Jersey), Petcare (with locations in Zaventem, Belgium; Poncitlán, Jalisco, Mexico; and Querétaro, Mexico), Food (in Rancho Dominguez, California), and Mars Edge (in Germantown, Maryland), which is the company’s life sciences division. The company is well known for its confectionery brands, including Mars bars, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way bars, M&M's, Skittles, Snickers, Twix, and Bounty. It also makes non-confectionery snacks like Combos, plus other foods such as Ben's Original and Dolmio pasta sauce, and pet foods including Pedigree, Whiskas, Nutro, and Royal Canin.
The company’s history begins with Franklin Clarence Mars, who learned to hand-dip candy from his mother and sold candy by age 19. He founded the Mars Candy Factory on June 23, 1911, with his second wife, Ethel V. Mars, in Tacoma, Washington. That factory made and sold fresh candy wholesale, but it failed due to competition from the more established Brown & Haley. By 1920, Mars returned to Minnesota, where the earliest version of the present-day company was founded that year as Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis, later incorporated there as Mars, Incorporated.
In 1923, Forrest Mars Sr., Frank’s son from his first marriage, discussed his father’s business troubles at a soda fountain. Inspired by his drink, Forrest suggested a candy bar based on a chocolate malted milk milkshake. Frank took the idea, used neglected Minneapolis nougat, and introduced the Milky Way bar, advertised as a “chocolate malted milk in a candy bar.” It became the best-selling candy bar. In 1929, Frank moved the company to Chicago and began full production in a plant still in use. In 1930, he created the Snickers bar, and in 1932, Mars introduced the 3 Musketeers bar.
That same year, Forrest Mars received a check from his father and the foreign rights to market the Milky Way. He moved to Great Britain and started Mars Limited in Slough, launching the Mars bar there with great success. He expanded his company over the following decades. After Frank Mars died in 1934, ownership went to his widow’s family. Ethel V. Mars served as president, but her half-brother, William Kruppenbacher, ran daily operations. Gradually, Forrest Mars, who ran his own Mars company in Britain, took control of his father’s Chicago company by 1964 and merged the two into one Mars.
Mars moved its headquarters to McLean, Virginia, in 1984. In 2001, it bought the Lucas candy company, but Lucas was discontinued in 2004 after high levels of lead were found in its candies. In June 2007, Mars purchased Doane Petcare Company, boosting its position in the U.S. dry pet food market. The company also runs a chain of premium chocolate shops called Ethel M Chocolates, which grew out of the Ethel M premium chocolate business Forrest Mars started in Las Vegas in 1980 after becoming bored with retirement.
From May 1, 2007, many Mars products made in the UK became unsuitable for vegetarians because the company switched to whey made with animal rennet (from calf stomach lining, a veal byproduct) instead of microbial rennet. This affected products like Mars, Twix, Snickers, Maltesers, Bounty, Minstrels, and Milky Way. The Vegetarian Society urged UK vegetarians to protest, generating extensive press, and Mars soon abandoned the change, switching back to all-vegetarian sources in the UK.
In 2008, Mars and the BelGroup conducted a research study that revived the slogan “Work, Rest & Play,” packaged and led the global launch of Mars Refuel Sports drink, and started a sponsorship program called “The Mars Refuel Drink Fund.” On April 28, 2008, Mars, together with Berkshire Hathaway, announced the buyout of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, the world’s largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion in cash. The combined companies generated over $30 billion in sales in 2008. Mars’s U.S. confectionery division, Masterfoods USA (formerly M&M Mars), was merged into Wrigley, and its chocolate products were reorganized into the new subsidiary Mars Chocolate North America, LLC.
In September 2011, the company published its Principles in Action communication, outlining Mars’s history, its commitment to its Five Principles, and its goal of putting those principles into action to benefit people and the planet through performance. This covered themes of Health and Nutrition, Supply Chain, Operations, and Products.
- ownership
- Mars family (entirely privately held)
- subsidiaries
- Snacking, Petcare, Food, Mars Edge
Quick Facts
- Industry
- Food · Veterinary services
- Founded
- 1911-06-23 in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
- Founder
- Franklin Clarence Mars
- Hq Location
- McLean, Virginia, U.S.
- Area Served
- Worldwide
- Key People
- John Franklyn Mars (chairman) · Poul Weihrauch / (president and CEO)
- Products
- Confectionery · Gum · Candy · Mints · Beverages · Foodstuffs · Cereals (outside North America) · Crackers · Toaster pastries · Pet food and supplies
- Brands
- List of Mars Inc. brands
- Services
- Manufacturing / Veterinary
- Revenue
- 65 billion · link=yes
- Revenue Year
- 2026
- Owner
- Mars family
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products, as well as a provider of animal care services. It is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, within the Washington metropolitan area, and remains entirely owned by the Mars family. The company operates through four global subsidiaries: Snacking, with U.S. headquarters in Hackettstown and Newark, New Jersey, and a main office in Chicago, Illinois; Petcare, based in Zaventem, Belgium, with facilities in Poncitlán and Querétaro, Mexico; Food, located in Rancho Dominguez, California; and Mars Edge, the life sciences division in Germantown, Maryland. Mars is best known for its confectionery brands, including Mars bars, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, M&M’s, Skittles, Snickers, Twix, and Bounty. It also produces non-confectionery snacks like Combos, as well as other foods such as Ben’s Original rice and Dolmio pasta sauce, and pet foods under the Pedigree, Whiskas, Nutro, and Royal Canin brands. The company’s history began on June 23, 1911, when Franklin Clarence Mars founded the Mars Candy Factory in Tacoma, Washington, with his second wife, Ethel V. Mars. After that venture failed, Mars returned to Minnesota, founding Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis in 1920, later incorporated as Mars, Incorporated. In 1923, his son Forrest Mars Sr. suggested basing a candy bar on a chocolate malted milkshake, leading to the Milky Way bar, which became the best-selling candy bar. The company moved to Chicago in 1929, introducing Snickers in 1930 and 3 Musketeers in 1932. Forrest Mars later established Mars Limited in Slough, England, launching the Mars bar there. After Frank Mars’s death in 1934, control eventually passed to Forrest, who merged the two companies by 1964. Mars moved its headquarters to McLean, Virginia, in 1984. In 2008, Mars and Berkshire Hathaway bought Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company for $23 billion, merging Mars’s U.S. confectionery division into Wrigley. The company had US$45 billion in annual sales in 2022, and Forbes ranked it the fourth-largest privately held company in the United States that year.
Reader's Guide
Mars, Incorporated is a privately held American multinational that manufactures confectionery, pet food, and other food products, and provides animal care services. Founded on June 23, 1911, by Franklin Clarence Mars, the company began as the Mars Candy Factory in Tacoma, Washington, after Mars learned candy making from his mother and sold candy from age 19. That early venture failed due to competition, but by 1920 Mars had returned to Minnesota and founded Mar-O-Bar Co., later incorporated as Mars, Incorporated. The company’s first major success came from the Milky Way bar, inspired by a chocolate malted milk milkshake and using Minneapolis nougat, which became the best-selling candy bar. This was followed by Snickers in 1930 and 3 Musketeers in 1932. After Frank Mars’s death in 1934, control eventually passed to his son, Forrest Mars Sr., who had started his own Mars Limited in Britain and merged the two entities by 1964. The company moved its headquarters to McLean, Virginia, in 1984. Mars operates four global subsidiaries: Snacking, Petcare, Food, and Mars Edge, its life sciences division. Its iconic confectionery brands include Mars bars, M&M’s, Skittles, Snickers, Twix, and Bounty, while pet food brands include Pedigree, Whiskas, Nutro, and Royal Canin. In 2008, Mars and Berkshire Hathaway acquired Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, the world’s largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion. The company had US$45 billion in annual sales in 2022 and was ranked by Forbes as the fourth-largest privately held company in the United States.
Did You Know?
- Mars Edge is primarily food nutrition research and development, overseeing brands like CocoaVia and Foodspring.
- The Companion Fund is an over $100 million investment fund that focuses on pet technology and pet care.
- Through Kinship, Mars has invested in FluffyGo, Leap Venture Studio & academy, Pet Insight Project, Pet Story, VetInSight, Whistle, and Wisdom Panel.
- Former brands include Pet Partners (now part of VCA Animal Hospitals), Big League Chew (acquired by Ford Gum), Flavia Beverage Systems (acquired by Lavazza), and KLIX.
Corporate Architecture & Business Divisions
Mars Inc. structures its extensive brand portfolio around four primary business divisions, each carrying a clearly defined operational mandate. Mars Edge functions as the company's dedicated research and development engine for food nutrition, stewarding brands such as CocoaVia and Foodspring. Mars Food takes on the broader task of food manufacturing and brand stewardship across consumer product lines. Mars Petcare is the most expansive division, covering pet food manufacturing, pet healthcare services, associated technologies, and related brands. Mars Snacking rounds out the structure, responsible for chocolate, chewing gum, snacks, and confections. Together, these four pillars allow the corporation to operate simultaneously in scientific research, consumer product manufacturing, and service-based healthcare delivery, creating a remarkably diversified corporate identity that stretches from cocoa-derived products to full-scale veterinary hospital operations.
Global Veterinary Healthcare Network
Mars Veterinary Health represents a substantial expansion beyond product manufacturing into the direct delivery of animal healthcare. In North America, the division operates through three major provider networks: Banfield Pet Hospital, BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, and VCA Animal Hospitals. The international footprint is equally impressive, spanning AniCura, Antech Diagnostic (also operating under the Sound name), Asia Veterinary Diagnostics, Linnaeus Veterinary Group, Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group, Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital in Singapore, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of Hong Kong, Creature Comforts Group, and Tai Wai Small Animal and Exotic 24 Hour Hospital. This global network of clinics, diagnostic centers, and emergency facilities positions Mars not merely as a pet food supplier but as an integrated healthcare provider with capabilities spanning routine care, diagnostics, and specialized emergency treatment across multiple continents.
Pet Technology & Investment Ecosystem
Beyond its physical veterinary network, Mars has cultivated a dedicated ecosystem for pet technology and scientific innovation. The Waltham Petcare Science Institute serves as the anchor for the company's research efforts in pet care and nutrition science. Two distinct investment vehicles channel capital into this growing space: the Companion Fund, a dedicated fund exceeding one hundred million dollars focused on pet technology and care, and Kinship, a separate investment entity pursuing a similar mandate. Through these two funds, Mars has backed a diverse slate of startups and ventures, including FluffyGo, Leap Venture Studio & academy, Pet Insight Project, Pet Story, VetInSight, Whistle, and Wisdom Panel. This layered investment strategy signals a deliberate corporate shift toward shaping the future of pet care through technology partnerships and early-stage capital deployment, rather than relying exclusively on traditional product lines and hospital operations.
Snacking Portfolio & Brand Evolution
Mars Snacking constitutes the most consumer-visible division of the company, encompassing chocolate, chewing gum, snacks, and confections under one operational umbrella. Three major brand families form the core of this division: the Mars brand itself, The Wrigley Company with its chewing gum and related products, and Kellanova covering a range of snacks and confections. The portfolio also extends to Hotel Chocolat, KIND, and Tru Fru, reflecting a strategy of acquiring and nurturing distinct brand identities within the broader snacking category. The company's brand history also reveals a willingness to prune and reallocate: Pet Partners was folded into VCA Animal Hospitals, Big League Chew was acquired by Ford Gum, Flavia Beverage Systems was sold to Lavazza, and KLIX was discontinued entirely. This pattern of acquisition, integration, and selective divestiture illustrates a portfolio that is continually being reshaped to align with evolving strategic priorities.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mars Inc.?
Mars Inc. is a privately held American multinational that makes candy, pet food, other food products, and animal care services. It is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and has been 100% family-owned since its origins in the early 1900s.
Who founded Mars Inc. and when?
Franklin Clarence Mars launched the business in 1911 as the Mars Candy Factory in Tacoma, Washington. The operation later reorganized as the Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis in 1920 before growing into the global Mars Inc. of today.
Who owns Mars Inc.?
The Mars family holds complete ownership of the company; it has never been publicly traded or sold to outside shareholders. That total family control is why it consistently ranks among the largest privately held businesses in the U.S.
What products does Mars Inc. actually make?
Beyond its iconic confectionery lines such as Mars bars and M&Ms, the company produces a broad range of pet food brands and other food products. It also operates animal care services as part of its wider portfolio.
How big is Mars Inc. in terms of revenue?
In 2022 the company reported roughly $45 billion in annual sales, which earned it the Forbes title of second-largest privately held company in the United States. Its operations span confectionery, pet care, and food manufacturing on multiple continents.
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