Jacqueline Mars and the Mars story
Jacqueline Mars is the heiress of a famous American family that makes children all over the world happy. They are the creators of such famous sweets as Mars bars, Milky Way and M&M’s. Jacqueline is the granddaughter of Frank Mars, the founder of the confectionery empire. The businesswoman is worth US$53 billion.
She has a degree in anthropology from Bryn Mawr College. She married in 1961 and had three children. The marriage lasted until 1984.
After her father died in 1999, Jacqueline joined the family business. She and her two brothers took over the management of the company. John became CEO, and Jacqueline became Vice President. She left the company in 2016, and currently, no one from the Mars family is in the management of Mars Inc. However, her son Stephen is a director.
She is currently active in philanthropy through her foundation. One of its most significant initiatives has been to support the National Symphony Orchestra and Austrian doctors.
Jacqueline’s passion is horses. She is vice president and trustee of the US Equestrian Team.
Interesting facts about the family:
– Jacqueline owns about 30% of Mars, the world’s largest confectionery company;
– the dynasty is the third wealthiest family in the United States;
– John Mars is a knight, a title bestowed on him by Queen Elizabeth.
Today, Mars produces more than 400 million packs of M&Ms each year. Other popular products include Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, Whiskas, and Pedigree pet food.
Company history
In 1911, Frank Mars founded Mar-O-Bar, a company that manufactured chocolate products. In 10 years, the company moved to Minnesota. Legendary sweets – Snickers and Milky Way- appeared here. Frank’s son Forrest joined the company in 1932. However, he did not see eye to eye with his father and set up his own company in 1940. The original name of the company is M&M Limited. The first M came from Forrest Mars’ surname. The second M belonged to Bruce Murry, who owned 20% of the company. At the same time, his father ran a competitor – Hershey.
The factory’s first popular product was M&M’s candies. They were popular with American soldiers. During the Second World War, they became part of their dry rations. Their main advantage was that they did not melt at high temperatures. In 1950, the company doubled its production capacity to meet demand from the military and regular consumers.
Mars Sr.’s company focused on the production of Uncle Ben’s Rice. In 1967, son and father decided to join forces, resulting in the creation of the Mars Corporation.
