Mars Inc.

Mars, Incorporated, doing business as Mars Inc., is a big American company that makes tasty treats, food for pets, and other food products. It was started on June 23, 1911, and is still owned by the Mars family. The company’s main office is in McLean, Virginia, near Washington metropolitan area.

In 2022, Mars had US$45 billion in sales and was ranked the fourth-largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes. Mars works through four main parts of the business around the world. These include Snacking, with offices in Chicago, Illinois, and other cities; Petcare, which has offices in places like Zaventem, Belgium, and Poncitlán, Mexico; Food, based in Rancho Dominguez, California; and Mars Edge in Germantown, Maryland, which looks after the company’s work in life sciences.

History

Franklin Clarence Mars started selling candy at age 19. He founded the Mars Candy Factory in Tacoma, Washington in 1911 with his wife, Ethel V. Mars. The factory sold candy wholesale, but it did not do well because another company, Brown & Haley, was already there. By 1920, Mars moved back to Minnesota and started Mar-O-Bar Co., which later became Mars, Incorporated.

In 1923, his son Forrest Mars Sr. suggested a new kind of candy bar based on a chocolate malted milk milkshake. Using nougat from Minneapolis, Frank Mars made the Milky Way bar, which became very popular. In 1930, Frank made the Snickers bar, and in 1932, the 3 Musketeers bar. Later, Forrest Mars started his own company in Slough, UK, and made the Mars bar, which was also very popular.

After Frank Mars died in 1934, his wife’s family took over the company. Later, Forrest Mars took control and merged his UK company with the one in Chicago. In 1984, Mars moved its headquarters to McLean, Virginia. Over the years, Mars bought many companies, including Doane Petcare in 2007, which helped grow their pet food business, and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 2008, making Mars important in gum too. Mars also opened premium chocolate shops named Ethel M Chocolates in Las Vegas in 1980.

Mars has many factories in the United States, including places like Hackettstown, New Jersey, Albany, Georgia, and Chicago, Illinois. In 2014, they opened a new chocolate factory in Topeka, Kansas. Mars also bought several snack companies, like Kind North America in 2020 and Hotel Chocolat in 2023. In August 2024, Mars said it would buy Kellanova, formerly known as Kellogg's, in a big deal worth $35.9 billion. The purchase finished in December 2025 after approval from European Union regulators.

Mars Food UK Limited

In 1932, Forrest Mars Sr. opened Mars' first European office in Slough, Berkshire. There he made the first Mars bar based on the American Milky Way. This factory is now called Mars Food UK Limited. Many popular candies like Starburst, Skittles, Twix, and Topic started in the United Kingdom before coming to the United States.

Mars also has a drinks part called Mars Drinks UK, based in Slough. It offers drinks like Starburst Orange Drink, Maltesers Hot Chocolate, and Galaxy flavors, as well as coffee and vending machines. In 2018, this drinks part was sold to Lavazza.

Mars Petcare

Mars Petcare started when Forrest Mars began making pet food in Europe. He changed the names of Kal Kan dog and cat food to Pedigree and Whiskas, and these brands became very popular. By 1994, Mars was the biggest pet food company in the world.

Mars Petcare also makes food for fish and birds, and offers genetic testing for pets. The company has grown its veterinary care services by buying several animal hospital chains, becoming a major provider of pet healthcare worldwide.

Factories

In 1963, Mars opened a big factory in Veghel in the Netherlands. It is now one of the largest chocolate factories in the world. Most of the company's sweets for Europe were made in factories in Slough, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

Mars also has important factories in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, and in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA. The company plans to close its factory in Chicago, Illinois in 2024.

Brands

See also: List of Mars Inc. brands

Mars has many famous brands that people know and love. Some of these brands are made by Mars, and others are made by The Wrigley Company.

Some of the well-known treats made by Mars include candy bars and other sweet foods. Mars also makes special foods for pets to enjoy. Over the years, Mars has stopped making some older treats, like the Banjo Candy Bar, Kudos, Pacers, PB Max, Spangles, and Summit Cookie Bars.

Veterinary services

Mars Inc. offers veterinary services to help pets stay healthy. In North America, they run Banfield Pet Hospital with many locations, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Pet Partners, and VCA Animal Hospitals with many places to care for pets.

Internationally, Mars provides services through AniCura and other groups. These services help pets in many countries.

Awards and honors

Mars Inc. was chosen by Fortune magazine in 2013 as one of the top 100 companies to work for. A nice feature was that employees in the pet food division could bring their dogs to work.

The company has also helped Elizabethtown College by giving money. This includes paying for a room and supporting a weekly talk series by company leaders.

Consumer relations

Mars is still owned by the Mars family and keeps things very private. In 1993, a reporter from the Washington Post Magazine got a rare look at the company. The reporter saw how the “M” marks were added to M&M’s—a moment no outsider had ever seen before. For many years, Mars kept many details about itself hidden. By 2019, the company had started to become more open through media appearances and sponsorships.

Controversies

Mars has faced some criticisms. In 2025, the company was noted for not setting clear goals to reduce methane emissions.

The company has also been questioned about its cocoa sourcing. Some reports said that children worked in tough conditions on farms that supplied cocoa for Mars products. Mars has tried to improve these practices. There were also concerns that some cocoa came from protected forests, which might harm wildlife habitats.