In 1920 Frank Mars relocated to larger quarters in Minneapolis, where Snickers (without the chocolate coating) and Milky Way bars were created. The company posted a loss of $6,000 in 1922, but by 1924, sales exceeded $800,000. Mars changed his company's name to Mars Candies in 1926. With the rapid growth of the company, Mars sought larger quarters and built a new plant in suburban Chicago in 1928. Sales actually quadrupled during the lean years of the Depression and new products were introduced, including the Mars Almond Bar, Snickers Bar (now sporting a chocolate covering), and 3 Musketeers. Have you enjoyed...

Frank Mars hired his son Forrest E. Mars to work in the candy operation after his graduation from Yale, but the two reportedly had a stormy relationship. In the early 1930s, Frank, giving Forrest some money and the foreign rights to manufacture Milky Way, ordered his son to start his own business abroad. Moving to England, Forrest worked for Cadbury, in Europe he worked for Nestle and Tobler. He established a confectionery in the UK and a canned pet food company, and parboiled rice products, which met with great success. Were you aware of Forrest Mars prior to this survey?

In 1940 Forrest Mars returned to the United States and founded M&M Limited in Newark, New Jersey, to manufacture chocolate candies in a sugar shell. At that time, stores reduced their stock of chocolate in the summer because of the lack of air conditioning, and Forrest hoped to capitalize on the unique construction of M&M's to sell the candy year round. The name of the candy was derived from the initials of Mars and an associate, Bruce Murrie. M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies were introduced in 1954, the same year the famous slogan "the milk chocolate melts in your mouth—not in your hand" was first used. He worked for Cadbury's in the UK and would have learned their original 1935 slogan there. In Spain he saw Rowntree Smarties which inspired his own version --M&M. In today's world there would be lawsuits for stealing intellectual property, it is unlikely the Quaker family patented their slogan in 1935. Do you think Forrest was a typical american advertiser "steal every good idea and make it thine own"?

Because of increased production, Mars constructed a new plant in Hackettstown, New Jersey, in 1958. In the early 1960s, facilities were extended to Europe with a factory at Veghel in the Netherlands. In 1967 Forrest merged his business with the Mars Company owned by his father and took over operation of the new company. Mars Electronics International (MEI) began operating in Britain in 1969 and expanded to the United States in 1972. MEI was responsible for the introduction of electronics to the vending machine industry. In 1985 MEI expanded its product line to include advanced bill technology and cashless payment systems. In addition to serving the vending industry, MEI also provided products for use in pay phones and amusement parks. MEI's electronics technology had also been applied to data acquisition and laser scanning devices. In 1987 the company's British and American operations were merged to form the largest international manufacturer of electronic coin machines. In addition to its two manufacturing facilities, MEI had marketing and sales offices throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and the Far East. Have you encountered the latest MEI Vending machines of Mars Inc.?

Despite its unorthodox corporate culture, the Mars company thrived. Hershey Foods and Mars historically fought a battle to hold the number one spot in the U.S. candy market, an honor which passed between them. Mars took over the top spot in the early 1970s and by late in the decade had pushed its market share 14 percentage points ahead of Hershey. According to an industry executive quoted in Fortune, "it took the Hershey people seven or eight years to realize that Mars was not going to go away.…Then it took them another five years to get their act together." Hershey responded with a flurry of new product introductions, heavy advertising, and innovative marketing efforts. In the mid-1980s Mars tried to combat this by creating a new image for candy as a sweet snack, not just junk food. Mars paid $5 million to have M&M's and Snickers named "the official snack foods of the 1984 Olympic Games." Commercials featured athletes getting quick energy from sugary snacks. By 1985 industry analysts noted that the two companies were neck and neck, with Mars's recent brand introductions including Bounty Bars, Combos, Holidays M&M's, Kudos, Starburst, Skittles, and Twix Cookie Bar. Have you enjoyed...

Mars is powered by science and the desire to be bold in order to create a better world for us all, today. As a family-owned, global business, they have the unique ability to have a big impact on the world. This also bestows them with the responsibility to make sure they do right by the many communities where they work and live — for the next hundred years and beyond. Mars is, and always has been, a principles-led business. While they are proud of their past, they have their sights on the future. Everything they do is with a vision to contribute positively to the people and places that their business touches. And it's not just all talk — they take action. Not only do they endeavor to help create and discover solutions for climate change, they are working toward making scientific leaps in pet nutrition and behavior, as well as finding new and innovative ways to feed the world. They are committed to being a leader who discovers and drives solutions to challenges that impact the world. Did you know The Celebration Division of Mars Wrigley UK, recently created a Chocolate Bust of King Charles III for his Coronation.?