Mars Inc.

About Mars Inc.

6885 Elm St., McLean, Va. 22101
www.mars.com | 703-821-4900 | Founded: 1911

Industry: Manufacturing | Category: Top Private Companies

Mars pushed aggressively forward last year with chocolate bars that it says are good for your heart. Its Nutrition for Health & Well-Being division launched the Cocoa Via line, chocolate bars containing flavanols and sterols. Flavanols are chemicals found naturally in cocoa that seem to provide cardiovascular benefits; sterols are chemicals found in many plants that have been shown to reduce cholesterol. The company began marketing the chocolate to retail outlets last year and sought placement in the health food section. Mars said it has researched the chocolate's salutary effect on the heart and arteries for more than 15 years.
Mars also opened a chain of chocolate lounges in the Chicago area last year and in the process turned chocolate into a verb in its promotions: the lounges are billed as "a new place to chocolate and chitchat." Rich in the aroma and atmosphere of chocolate, the lounges are meant to indulge the passion of chocoholics. "You love chocolate. We're here to help," its Web site says.
On a less glamorous note, Mars was targeted in 2005 by someone who claimed to have poisoned seven candy bars in the Australian state of New South Wales. The threat prompted a massive recall, clearing the shelves of tens of thousands of Mars and Snickers across the state.
Mars opened its second M&M's World Store in Orlando last year. The 16,000-square-foot store, which follows the launch of a similar outlet in Las Vegas, sells T-shirts, mugs and other merchandise, plus candy, of course.
Among the company's new licensing agreements last year was the creation of a Snickers Game Ball ice cream cake. Carvel Ice Cream introduced the cake ahead of the year-end football playoffs and bowl games for a limited time, with plans to offer it again during this year's football season. A Snickers Game Ball contains 32 ounces of Carvel peanut butter ice cream, Snickers pieces, caramel swirls and chocolate-coated peanuts in a covering of fudge and crunchy chocolate.
Mars is a very private company, revealing little about its internal operations. Forbes ranked it third on its annual list of the largest private companies, estimating it had $19.1 billion in revenue as of 2004. But a company spokeswoman said only that it has in excess of $18 billion in revenue.

2005 Financial Data

Revenues: $18,000,000,000
Total employees: 39,000 | Local employees: 50