Meet the Mars family, the ‘notoriously private’ billionaire heirs to the Snickers and M&Ms candy empire: how America’s third-richest family made its US$94 billion fortune
- Founded by Frank Mars in Washington in the 1900s, today Mars Inc. also includes Wrigley and pet care brand Iams, acquired from Procter & Gamble in 2014
- John Mars was made an honorary knight by Queen Elizabeth while his sister Jacqueline is an active supporter of the US Olympic Equestrian Team
The Mars family sits atop a delicious empire.
They’re the heirs to the candy throne that is Mars Inc., maker of Snickers, Mars Bars, Milky Way, Twix, M&M’s and more – not to mention a wider portfolio that includes pet care products, drinks and gum.
The century-old company has helped the Mars family build a reported fortune of US$94 billion, according to the Institute for Policy Studies’ “Silver Spoon Oligarchs” report. It makes them America’s third-richest family dynasty, per the report, which examined Forbes’ inaugural ranking of America’s wealthiest clans.
Press-shy and limelight-avoidant, the Mars family remains a bit of a mystery. They’ve been known to keep the company “notoriously private”, according to Business Insider, while The Guardian has called their headquarters “anonymous”.
However, Mars Inc. has more recently started trying to shed its secretive history. During the last few years, the Mars family and company executives have started to speak out.
Here’s what we know about the Mars family and Mars Inc.
How the Mars family made its US$94 billion fortune
The Mars family’s US$94 billion fortune is rooted in its family-owned candy empire, Mars Inc. Founder Frank Mars learned to hand-dip chocolates at a young age; in 1911, he began selling candy from his kitchen in Tacoma, Washington.