The History of M&Ms Candies
Mars Company Celebrates Almost 100 Years of Candy Making
Learn about the Mars family-owned company, dedicated to making candies for almost 100 years. Mars introduced M&Ms in 1941, with huge success.
Mars, a family-owned company that uses 100 percent chocolate or cocoa butter in its products, has been making chocolates for almost 100 years and is "the world's foremost leader in chocolate research". The Mars Candy Factory began making butter cream candies in 1911, when Frank C. Mars and his wife set up a candy factory in Tacoma, Washington. The company later relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and finally to Chicago.
After Frank C. Mars died, his son Forrest took over, introducing the M&Ms® candy in 1941. The company is now run globally in over 65 countries, producing food, drink, snack and pet products. The company stands on principles of quality, mutuality, freedom, efficiency and responsibility.
M&Ms' History
M&Ms Chocolate Candies were first sold in 1941. The candies were consumed by World War II soldiers, as the candies were an easily packaged energy snack. Forrest Mars Sr. invented the M&Ms recipe after witnessing soldiers from the Spanish Civil War "eating pellets of chocolate encased in a hard sugary coating" (Mars Incorporated, 2008). These candies were easy to take along, as they did not melt easily.
M&Ms Plain Chocolate Candies were extremely popular in the 1940s and 50s. Mars introduced M&Ms Peanut Chocolate Candies in 1954, along with the characters and slogan, "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth—not in your hand"®. The original candies were chocolate colored, with red, yellow and green introduced in 1960, and orange in 1976. In 2000, the name "M&Ms Plain Chocolate Candies" was changed to "M&Ms Milk Chocolate Candies".
Seasonal and Special M&Ms
The first seasonal bags of M&Ms were introduced in the 1980s, containing red and green for Christmas, and pastel colors for Easter. From the 1990s on, the introduction of special types of M&Ms for certain occasions was almost limitless. Specialized M&Ms include:
- Peanut Butter
- Almond
- M&Ms MINIS®
- M&Ms COLORWORKS®
- Dark Chocolate
- Dark Chocolate Peanut
- Peanut Butter
- Wildly Cherry - limited time only
- Mint Crisp - limited time only
- Customized M&Ms
Most recently, celebrating the release of the latest Indiana Jones movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" this May 2008, Mars introduced a new flavor, Mint Crisp. This new flavor is only available for a limited time. The Wildly Cherry flavor of M&Ms was released in February, also for a limited time. Customers can also customize messages on M&Ms, including 22 different colors. This product is especially popular for holidays and as wedding favors.
M&Ms Marketing - Ask the Public
Throughout the years, Mars has also asked the public to vote on new colors for the M&Ms candies. Blue and purple are among the winning colors included in a bag of M&Ms. This strategy has helped market the candies, adding to the advertising campaign for Mars. The M&Ms Characters have also enjoyed huge marketing success throughout the years, appearing in television commericals and print ads.
Sources:
National Confectioners Association
MMS.com
Oregon State University School of Business
