History of Mars. mars - bar with nougat and caramel

The Mars CompanyMars) is one of the most mysterious companies in the American market. She still remains privately owned, despite a whole list of world-famous brands that bring her billions of dollars. To date, the owners of Mars are the grandchildren of its founder.

Closed company

The status of a private company, or perhaps the location near the headquarters of the CIA, led to the fact that Mars has always been a closed company. Its founders never aspired to fame and glory, which did not prevent them from entering 100 richest people in america.

The closeness of the company gave rise to many rumors around herself and her owners. It is believed that the current leader, Forrest Mars, personally makes daily rounds of production and takes samples from finished products. It is not only about sweets, but also about animal feed.

Let's look behind the veil of mystery together and learn more about the history of Mars.

Foundation of the company

The history of Mars goes back to the 19th century. In 1883, the future founder of the chocolate giant was born Franklin Clarence (Frank) Mars.

Frank Mars' family did not live well, so he matured early and started working. At the age of 19, he was already selling sweets with might and main. It was at this moment that he chose the industry that determined his entire future life.

Career success helped Frank start earning enough. He was not rich, but he could afford to buy a house and married a girl named Ethel. She subsequently became his business partner.

Own business

At 28, Frank Mars leaves his job and starts his own business. He and his wife sell sweets in a store that is located right in their house.

All trade was conducted through the kitchen window of the Mars family.

Their little business began to grow, and in 1911 the couple founded the companyMar-O-bar. Frank's dream to leave his job forever and become the owner of his own business has become a reality.

First major successes

At that time, the main assortment of the Mars confectionery family was sweets of various fillings. The idea that changed Frank's whole life came to him quite by accident.

Birth of Milky Way

One day he went to the store with his son Forrest. The son asked his father to buy chocolate. In those days, chocolate could only be bought by weight, which was not very convenient. The customers were constantly getting dirty.

It was at that moment that Frank thought, why not start selling small pieces of chocolate wrapped in foil?

The idea seemed promising to Frank, and after advice from his wife, they decided to try it. The result of this trial was the birth of the now world-famous candy bar. milkyway. By 1925, Milky Way would be the recognized market leader.

Company growth

In the 20s, Mars will have its own factory in the suburbs of Chicago. The staff of the company will begin to grow. All this will result in the emergence of new products, among which will be the legendary chocolate bar Snickers, which is still one of the flagships of the Mars product line.

Forrest Mars

Having received an excellent education at Yale University, Forrest Mars prepare to become an entrepreneur. In this part of the history of the Mars family, there are some gaps and differences in the opinions of historians.

It is known that after university, Forrest went to England, where he started a business that was not related to his family's business. One of the versions claims that he did this on the instructions of his father in order to try to organize his own business.

According to another version- the reason for such actions was a conflict with the father and a break in their relationship. But it is known for sure that Forrest started a new business with Frank's money.

Chocolate bar Mars

In 1932, Forrest Mars buys a production facility in Slow. It is this factory that will become the parent of another brand - chocolate barMars, which is in no way inferior in popularity to its fellow - Snickers.

However, the first success was not easy for Forrest. He did not even produce his own chocolate at first, but bought it from Cadbury.

New area - new brands

Forrest Mars, unlike his father, had a more global mindset. He was a supporter of the idea of ​​differentiation. That is why the company has developed products such as pet food - Whiskas and Pedigree.

"Melts in your mouth, not in your hands"

If the founder-Mars owns the birth of the Milky Way brand, then his son can be credited with an equally famous product - candiesM&M's.

The idea to create these sweets came to Mars Jr. when he was in Spain. The problem with chocolates was that they melted in the hands. Especially on hot days.

Mars solved this problem by coating the candies with a special shell. And overnight, M&M's received wide recognition from the consumer. The success was so great that Forrest decides to rename the company "M&M Ltd".

Expansion and merger

The next step to success for Mars was the purchase Uncle Ben's- one of the leaders in the market of instant rice. Forrest began to come to the United States more often, and in 1964 his company and the brainchild of his father merged - a giant was born M&M/Mars.

However, there was not even any talk of entering the stock exchange. Forrest believed that the company should remain family property. At least until his death, talking about selling any part of the company was pointless.

Management at Mars

It is known about some of the innovations that Forrest Mars used in his company:

1. Very strict quality control. Of course, it was still not Japanese quality, but the level of control was high.
2. The leader was not afraid of open criticism of subordinates. Forrest always got personal when problems arose. This does not mean that he did not appreciate the employees. He was well aware that the fate of his company depended on them, and tried to organize the best conditions for them.
3. INMars abandoned private offices and partitions. This contributed to the improvement of the team spirit in the company's staff.
4. Mars has its own employee training center. For the middle of the 20th century, this was a revolutionary innovation!

Mars today

Today, Mars is owned by the third generation of the family - Jacqueline, Forrest Jr. and John. They are not in direct control. This function is performed by a hired person - the CEO of Mars, Paul Michaels.

Mars owns world famous brands in three industries: confectionery, animal food, rice.

Surely you know such brands as Milky Way, M&M's, Twix, Skittles, Snickers, Whiskas, Chappy, Pedigree, Uncle Ben's, Dove Chocolate, Bounty, Royal Canin and many others.

Fourth direction

Finally, Mars was the first to introduce drinks dispensers that could accept paper money.. This is another area of ​​the company's activities that few people know about.

Mars is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars Incorporated. For the first time, Forrest Mars (the son of the founder of a confectionery company) made such a chocolate bar in 1932 in the English town of Slough. The bar was similar to the Milky Way made by Forrest's father Frank. In its composition, it also contained nougat. In addition to nougat, it contained Mars chocolate bar and thick caramel.

In Russia, like all products of this company, it was imported only in 1992 and rapidly gained popularity. Someone finds it too sugary, someone, on the contrary, says that the sugar content in the bar is what you need. Many love it for its lack of nuts and soft texture.

But with the fact that Mars is a chocolate bar that combines the three most famous and delicious components, hardly anyone decides to argue. Indeed, there is nothing superfluous or original in the bar, but this simplicity makes it even tastier and more attractive.

Mars chocolate, having traveled a path of more than 80 years, has not changed its composition even once. During this time, it has become one of the most popular chocolate bars not only in the United States of America and English-speaking countries, but throughout the world.

Interesting: from the production of Mars chocolate (eng.)

Mars is available in only one flavor.

Brand: Mars / Mars

Brand launch year: 1932

Industry: confectionery

Products: chocolate bar

Owner company: Mars Inc.

Company foundation year: 1911

Mars(rus. Mars) is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars Incorporated. It was first made in 1932 in the English town of Slough by the American entrepreneur Forrest Mars. The recipe for making the bar has not changed to this day, but its size and proportions of the main ingredients have changed year after year.

On the world market there are different options for making a bar Mars. American version of the bar Mars was discontinued in 2002 and replaced by the Snickers Almond, which received minor changes. Only in 2010 American Mars was re-launched and initially sold only on exclusive rights through the Wal-Mart chain of stores. European version Mars also sold in some US grocery stores, usually in the imported ethnic food section. There are also regional versions Mars, e.g. in Finland and other Nordic countries, Mars weighing 47g.

UK born

In 1932, Forrest Mars, son of American candy maker Frank S. Mars, purchased a small-scale manufacturing facility in Slow. He had at his disposal £5,000, 4 employees, a small apartment behind the factory and a recipe for the popular Milky Way chocolate bar produced by his father in the USA, on the basis of which Forrest Mars came up with the same bar. Mars who is famous today. The chronicle of the city of Slow says that the young businessman realized that, in the conditions of a small production, he would not soon begin to produce his own chocolate for Mars, so the first bars Mars covered in Cadbury chocolate. The new bar consisted of nougat and caramel covered in milk chocolate. Currently, the basic Mars recipe is kept the same, but the size of the bar and the proportions of the main ingredients have changed over the years.

Mars comes in a variety of pack sizes: miniature bars called "Fun Size" (19.7g) and "Snack Time" (36.5g) (both sold in different bags); slightly larger multi-pack size - 54 g; the standard size of one bar is 58g and the king size is 84g, which was later changed to Mars Duo (91g) - a package that contains 2 small bars instead of one large one. A standard 58 gram bar contains 260 kilocalories.

In 2002 bar Mars, manufactured in the UK, has been modified and repackaged. There is less nougat, and the layer of chocolate has become noticeably thinner, which significantly reduced the weight of the bar. The packaging has also been changed. The font in which the word was written "Mars", became thinner and more italic.

In the second half of 2008, Mars UK reduced the size of the standard bar from 62.5g to the current 58g. This was not widely publicized, but Mars claimed at the time that the changes were designed to help tackle the UK's obesity crisis. The company later admitted that the true reason for the change was price increases.

Delicacy. It was first made in 1932 in the UK and was sold as Couverture brand chocolate.

History of appearance

In 1932, Forrest Mars, the son of American candy maker Frank Mars, rented a factory in Slough and, working with a team of twelve, began manufacturing a nougat and caramel candy bar. The bar was topped with milk chocolate and modeled after the Milky Way that was already popular in the US. Currently, the basic recipe remains unchanged, but the size of the bar and the proportions of the main components have changed more than once over the years. With slight variations, this classic version is sold all over the world (with the exception of the USA), and everywhere the chocolates are packaged in a black wrapper with a red lettering.

Recent Changes

In 2002, the appearance of "Mars" was revised, and its logo was updated to a more modern one. Its price has also increased slightly. The composition of the Mars bar has also changed - the nougat has become lighter, the chocolate layer on top has become thinner, and the total weight of the chocolate bar has been slightly reduced.

In Australia, the Mars logo has never changed - and to this day the packaging is the same as it was before 2002. The original advertising slogan, which is now used almost all over the world, is "Pleasure you can't measure".

Kinds

"Mars" is a bar that appears on sale in various forms. In addition to the classic packaging weighing 58 grams, you can purchase miniature bars weighing 19.7 grams and 36.5 grams. Previously, Mars King Size was often on sale, which weighed 84 grams. It is currently out of production and has been replaced by the Mars Duo, consisting of 2 bars of 42.5 grams each.

Previously, the standard "Mars" weighed 62.5 grams, until it was reduced by the decision of the manufacturer. In Australia, the weight of the produced classic bar is 53 grams. This change was not announced initially. But when consumers noticed how much smaller the familiar Mars bar had become, the manufacturer commented on the innovation as a means of combating the mass obesity of the population. The company later confirmed that the real reason for the change was due to rising costs.

Features of selling in the USA

"Mars" (bar) is sold in almost all countries of the world unchanged, with the exception of the United States. The American version was discontinued in 2002 and was replaced by a Snickers variation with nougat, almonds and milk chocolate on top.

Limited Editions

In addition, "Mars" is a chocolate bar, which was produced in a limited "circulation" with a modified composition in different countries. However, in some regions, these versions are on sale almost regularly.

So, there is "Mars Dark", which is produced in Canada on an ongoing basis and appears in the form of limited series in European countries. Its difference from the classic version is that it is covered with dark chocolate on top, not milk chocolate.

Also, in some countries, different forms of this chocolate are produced, tied to any events. The famous "Mars" in the form of Easter eggs, which is available in Europe every spring.

Release in Australia

Australia is the only country where "Mars" (bar) is produced in many variations to this day. In addition, only there came out various original packaging of chocolates. The most famous of them are the following.

"Mars Triple Chocolate" is a variant that, despite its name, includes chocolate nougat and chocolate caramel. It was also made available as a limited edition in the UK in August 2011 and then re-released in 2015 as Mars Xtra Choc.

Mars Cold bar (was available not only in Australia, but also in New Zealand and the UK) - featured original wrapper. The name was written on the packaging not in red, but in white, which turned blue when placed in the cold.

In August 2007, Mars Rock was released, which added chocolate nougat and a thick layer of caramel. The bar was covered in milk chocolate with added crunchy elements (whose main ingredients are wheat flour and sugar).

Mars Red is currently on sale. It has a red wrapper and the title is written in black. This option is considered less caloric.

'Mars 100% Caramel' has been available in Australia since January 2011. This is a standard sized bar, but it does not contain it. Was made available in the UK in a limited 'run' in 2012.

Also, "Mars" (bar) is available in vanilla (nougat has a vanilla flavor) and honey (nougat has the taste of honey in honeycombs).

Other brand products

Since this manufacturer's chocolates have become popular all over the world, a number of other products with the same name have appeared. The most famous and common of them are sweets and ice cream. They are available in many countries, including Russia and the CIS.

Ice cream is available both in the form of bars and in large packaged portions, and is a mixture of nougat, caramel and ice cream.

Also in Europe, a series of drinks "Mars" is popular - chocolate cocktails and energy drinks.

Why are Mars bars being recalled?

In early 2016, news broke that plastic impurities had been found in some batches of Mars. In this regard, the manufacturer decided to withdraw some of the products sent to various countries. In total, several batches of chocolates from 55 countries were returned. As it turned out later, these events did not affect Russia.

Familiar from childhood, a bar with an amazing delicate taste "Mars" was invented in America in 1911. A married couple has been developing his recipe for a long time. Frank Mars - that was the name of the founder of the chocolate dynasty - wanted to provide for his family. His wife helped him in everything. So, in 1911, this delicacy first appeared on the shelves of American stores. The small candy bar company was called Mars Candy Factory. Initially, only 12 people worked at the factory. It is difficult to compare this figure with today's - the best equipment is used in production, which is served by numerous highly qualified personnel.

In 1930, Frank and his family moved to England, where he opened a larger production of the same bar. Its name was changed to "Couverture". Later chocolate will be named after its author. Then it was produced in the form of another product, which was already very popular among the population of many countries. This is the famous Milky Way bar. Manufacturing flourished. New production points were opened, sales volumes expanded, export offers began to arrive. The chocolate bar has become a life's work for American Frank Mars. For this he is grateful for several generations.

What is special about Mars chocolate?

The composition of sweets can be called natural. It uses a minimum amount of preservatives. Initially, its slogan sounded like "Pleasure that you cannot measure." The main feature and reason for its great popularity is its unique delicate taste and soft viscous texture. The effect of a delicacy of nougat and caramel drenched in milk chocolate that melts in your mouth leaves neither children nor adults indifferent.

Compound:

For the manufacture of "Mars" milk powder and cocoa powder are used only in skimmed form. Other Ingredients:

• dry protein;
• lecithin;
• serum;
• vanillin;
• lactose;
• glucose syrup;
• sugar;
• malt extract.

The product is rich in carbohydrates, their content is 68 g per 100 grams. Proteins - 4.4 g. The fat content is also quite high - 18.2 g. Like any chocolate bar, Mars contains a lot of calories. For 100 grams of product, this figure is 455 kcal.

Benefit and harm

In one of the countries where it was in great demand, there was an unofficial slogan that said: "Eat every day and die young and contented." No, the bar does not contain life-threatening substances, but its calorie content is very high, and frequent eating can cause obesity. This disease has long been considered the plague of the American population, as obesity causes many comorbidities. One of the first to suffer from it is the heart - due to the large weight, the load on it increases, cardiovascular diseases develop. They lead the list of deadly diseases. Only the death rate in traffic accidents is ahead of this disease. It turns out that the use of any sweets in excessive quantities is dangerous to health. Mars chocolates are no exception. They should not be eaten very often. For diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity and stomach ulcers, use should be agreed with your doctor.

An interesting fact: in 2002, the weight of the bar was reduced, and the chocolate layer became much thinner. Manufacturers issued a statement that this measure was taken to help fight obesity. Later it turned out that in addition to this noble goal, the company's financial crisis influenced the reduction in the size of the bar without reducing its value.

The useful properties of the bar include the fact that after its use:

• fatigue disappears;
• cheerfulness appears;
• mental strength is restored;
• the mood rises.

The condition of schoolchildren who have a bite of "Mars" is significantly improved. After a long mental load, their strength and energy return to normal, allowing them to better absorb information. It is good to use this product before tests and exams. It is recommended to monitor only the quantity: one small chocolate bar two to three times a week is more than enough for a teenager, given other sweets and carbohydrate-rich foods consumed.

How much does a Mars bar weigh?

For all the years of production, the bar has always been produced in black packaging with a red inscription. As an experiment, a white wrapper with the same red letters was used. Such chocolate was released in England, New Zealand and Australia.

According to weight standards, reforms were also made. In addition to the standard delicacy, weighing 58 grams, they produce a mini version weighing 19.7 grams, and a maxi version weighing 36.5 grams. These varieties can be found on the shelves today. The 84 gram Mars King Size variant was discontinued shortly after release. Manufacturers considered it appropriate to release a large bar divided into two sticks. To the three standard sweets, one more was added - "Mars Duo", consisting of two chocolates of 42.5 grams.

Scandal

In 2005, the manufacturers of the chocolate brand received an anonymous letter claiming that 7 bars from the whole new batch were poisoned. Manufacturers considered this the intrigues of competitors. But the first victims of sweets began to arrive at the hospitals. There were two of them. Another 17 people complained of feeling unwell. Manufacturers of the company fully admitted their guilt in what happened. The entire consignment was recalled, including the exported goods. Increased safety measures at work. The company's management personally monitored the condition of all the victims until their full recovery.

Russia was not affected by the incident. This did not have a strong negative impact on the company's reputation - Mars is very popular to this day. No other similar incidents were recorded. "Mars" remains our favorite among chocolate bars.

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