Mars, Incorporated

What Mars, Incorporated does

Mars, Incorporated is a privately held, family-owned global consumer packaged goods company founded in 1911 and now in its fifth generation of family ownership. The company operates across three core segments — Petcare, Snacking, and Food & Nutrition — serving end consumers in more than 50 countries through retail/grocery partners, e-commerce platforms, and direct-to-consumer veterinary hospital networks (Banfield, BluePearl, VCA, and diagnostic services via Antech). Its portfolio includes iconic brands such as M&M'S, Snickers, Mars, Twix, Skittles, Starburst, Galaxy, Maltesers, Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba, Ben's Original, and Dolmio, with Pringles and other Kellanova brands added in December 2025.

The company makes money primarily through physical product sales across consumer goods categories — confectionery, gum and mints, pet nutrition, prepared meals, and rice/ingredient products — supplemented by veterinary service fees collected directly through its owned pet hospital network. Pricing is set by retail partners in most consumer categories and by Mars directly for veterinary services. The Petcare segment is differentiated by vertical integration spanning nutrition, primary care (Banfield), specialty and emergency care (BluePearl, VCA), and diagnostics (Antech).

Mars's family-owned structure underpins a long-term investment strategy including a stated Net Zero by 2050 ambition, a Sustainable in a Generation Plan, multi-stakeholder sustainability partnerships (FAO, WWF, WRI, AWS, SRP, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade), and large capital commitments such as a €1 billion EU manufacturing and innovation investment across 10 countries by 2026 and dedicated funds for sustainable rice and peanut sourcing R&D.

Name

Mars, Incorporated

Legal name

Mars, Incorporated

Website

https://mars.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Mars, Incorporated is a privately held, family-owned global consumer packaged goods company founded in 1911, operating across Petcare, Snacking, and Food & Nutrition in 50+ countries, with iconic brands including M&M'S, Snickers, Pedigree, Whiskas, and Pringles (post-Kellanova).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Confectionery and Pet Food

NAICS

Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111), Animal Food Manufacturing (31111), Animal Food Manufacturing (3111), Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033)

akta.pro primary industry

Treats & Chews (CRADAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Life-Stage & Breed/Size-Specific Formulas (CRADAFAG), Wet/Canned & Pouch Food (Dog & Cat) (CRADAFAB), Pet Health & Wellness Retail (Supplements, OTC, Flea/Tick) (CRALAHAC)

Keywords

• Confectionery manufacturing
• Pet food products
• Veterinary hospital services
• Consumer packaged goods
• Chocolate and snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

Hackettstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Petcare Products & Services: Revenue from pet nutrition products, veterinary services, and pet health diagnostic services through Banfield Pet Hospital, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, and VCA Animal Hospitals networks.
2. Confectionery & Snacking: Revenue from iconic chocolate and confectionery brands including M&M'S, Snickers, Mars, Twix, Skittles, Starburst, as well as gum and mint products.
3. Food & Nutrition: Revenue from food products including Ben's Original rice, Dolmio sauces, and other prepared meal and ingredient products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mars, Incorporated manufactures and sells branded consumer packaged goods worldwide across three core segments: Petcare (pet nutrition brands such as Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba, Cesar, and veterinary hospital services through Banfield, BluePearl, and VCA), Snacking (chocolate, confectionery, gum and mint brands including M&M'S, Snickers, Mars, Twix, Skittles, Starburst, Galaxy, Maltesers, Extra, and the recently acquired Kellanova portfolio including Pringles), and Food & Nutrition (Ben's Original rice and Dolmio sauces). It also provides animal care services through its network of veterinary hospitals.

Product overview

Mars, Incorporated is a global, family-owned business operating across three business segments: Petcare, Snacking, and Food & Nutrition. The company offers a diverse portfolio of consumer products including pet foods and veterinary services (Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba, Cesar, Perfect Fit, Dreamies, Catsan, Misfits, Thomas), confectionery and snacks (M&M'S, Mars, Snickers, Twix, Skittles, Starburst, Galaxy, Maltesers, Bounty, Milky Way, Celebrations, Airwaves, Hubba Bubba, Juicy Fruit, Extra, Revels), and food products (Ben's Original, Dolmio). In December 2025, Mars completed its acquisition of Kellanova, adding Pringles to its portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mars Petcare: Pet nutrition, health, and veterinary services to make a better world for pets.
• Mars Snacking
• Mars Food & Nutrition
• Mars Impact Fund
• Banfield Pet Hospital
• BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital
• VCA Animal Hospitals
• Kellanova

Products and services

• Petcare Pet nutrition, health, and veterinary services across brands such as Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba, Cesar, Perfect Fit, Dreamies, Catsan, Misfits, and Thomas, supported by veterinary hospital networks (Banfield, BluePearl, VCA) and diagnostics (Antech). Targets pet owners seeking complete pet health and nutrition solutions.
• Snacking Beloved chocolate, confectionery, gum and mint brands including M&M'S, Mars, Snickers, Twix, Skittles, Starburst, Galaxy, Maltesers, Bounty, Milky Way, Celebrations, Airwaves, Hubba Bubba, Juicy Fruit, Extra, Revels, plus Pringles via the Kellanova acquisition. Targets general consumers seeking snacking, sharing, and celebration products.
• Food & Nutrition Health, tasty, affordable, convenient, and sustainably-sourced meals for dinner tables globally, including Ben's Original microwaveable rice and Dolmio pasta sauces. Targets families seeking meal solutions.
• Veterinary Hospital Services Veterinary hospital and clinic services delivered through Banfield Pet Hospital (general pet care), BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital (specialty and emergency care), and VCA Animal Hospitals networks, supported by Antech diagnostics. Targets pet owners needing in-person veterinary care.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% increase in farmer income in Pakistan basmati rice program
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Lindau Nobel Laureate MeetingsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Mars Impact Fund awarded €1.5M grant to support Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, supporting scientific collaboration and community strengthening initiatives.
• KellanovamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025Mars completed acquisition of Kellanova, uniting two iconic businesses with portfolios of beloved brands including Pringles.
• CalmcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 May 2025Partnership with leading mental health company Calm to spotlight wellbeing potential of pets and celebrate pet adoption.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtended partnership to help ensure Safe Food for All, with food safety being of paramount importance at Mars.
• World Resources Institute (WRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on water stewardship including Aqueduct platform for water stress mapping, Context-Based Water Targets, and water governance initiatives.
• Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of AWS which works with companies, governments and NGOs to develop and support the AWS International Stewardship Standard.
• Pacific InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on science-based approaches to water stewardship and water target methodology development.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on water stewardship, sustainable sourcing, and environmental conservation initiatives.
• UN CEO Water MandatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined in 2015; supports UN Sustainable Development Goals particularly SDG 6 for water and sanitation access.
• UN Global CompactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined in 2015; commitment to sustainable business practices and global sustainability goals.
• Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading member supporting 2,000 basmati rice farmers in Pakistan and India to improve productivity and reduce water use.
• International Rice Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with IRRI for sustainable rice cultivation with basmati rice farmers.
• HelvetascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO partnership for sustainable rice cultivation and water stewardship projects.
• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification partnership for sustainable sourcing of raw materials.
• FairtradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification partnership for sustainable and ethical sourcing.
• EcoVadiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier sustainability assessment platform used to evaluate supplier performance including water-related risks.
• KIND (Brand Partnership)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal partnership announced in 2017 with KIND brand for sustainable ingredient sourcing (almonds).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Procter & Gamble Co. Procter & Gamble is a broad incumbent consumer packaged goods giant that has historically competed with Mars in pet care (via Iams/Eukanuba) and household products. As one of the world's largest CPG companies, P&G is a broad comparable for Mars's diversified portfolio across multiple categories.
• Unilever PLC: Unilever is a broad global CPG incumbent with overlapping categories in foods (Knorr, Hellmann's) and personal care. While Unilever is less concentrated in pet care or confectionery than Mars, its global brand portfolio, scale, and emerging-markets reach make it a broad-incumbent comparable.
• Cargill, Incorporated: Cargill is the world's largest privately-held food and agriculture company and a relevant broad-incumbent comparable given both Mars and Cargill are privately-held global food conglomerates with overlapping supply chains, pet food ingredients, and sustainability commitments in agriculture.

Direct peers

• The J.M. Smucker Company: J.M. Smucker competes directly with Mars Petcare through brands like Rachel Ray Nutrish, Milk-Bone, and Meow Mix in the US pet food market. Smucker's portfolio of branded pet food and treats makes it a focused direct peer in the Mars Petcare segment.
• Mondelez International: Mondelez is the largest pure-play global snacking competitor to Mars Snacking, with brands like Cadbury, Oreo, Toblerone, Trident, and Sour Patch Kids directly competing with Mars, Snickers, M&M'S, Twix, and Skittles in confectionery and gum.
• Colgate-Palmolive Company: Colgate-Palmolive owns Hill's Pet Nutrition, a direct competitor to Mars Petcare brands like Pedigree, Royal Canin, and Whiskas in the premium and veterinary-channel pet food market. Hill's is among Mars's most direct pet nutrition competitors globally, especially in the vet-recommended channel.
• General Mills: General Mills owns Blue Buffalo (a major US pet food brand competing with Mars Petcare) and now competes with the newly-acquired Kellanova cereals and snacking business. General Mills is a direct peer in both pet nutrition (via Blue Buffalo) and in cereals/snacking after the Kellanova integration.
• WK Kellogg Co: WK Kellogg Co was created when Kellogg Company split into two businesses, with Kellanova (now acquired by Mars) housing the snacking business and WK Kellogg retaining North American cereal. WK Kellogg is a direct peer in the cereal category and a relevant comparable for the recently-acquired Kellanova business.
• Hershey Company: Hershey is one of the largest pure-play chocolate and confectionery competitors in North America, directly competing with Mars brands like M&M'S, Snickers, Twix, and Reese's. Hershey is among the most direct peers for the Mars Snacking segment.
• Nestlé S.A. Nestlé operates Purina (Mars Petcare's largest direct competitor in pet food) and competes with Mars in confectionery and prepared foods. Both companies are massive global CPG conglomerates with overlapping pet care, confectionery, and food portfolios, and Nestlé is the closest peer for the Mars Petcare segment specifically.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/marsglobal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Mars
• Facebookfacebook.com/Mars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mars
• Instagraminstagram.com/marsglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mars, Incorporated