One chocolate company controls a 14.4 percent share of the global chocolate market, making it the biggest chocolate company in the world.
The company is Mars. Because of this global domination, the Mars family became the second wealthiest family in the world. Today, I will talk about the richest woman in the family who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Her name is Victoria Mars. Her net worth exceeds $9.3 billion, making her the 69th richest person in the country.
Who is Victoria Mars?
Victoria B. Mars is an American billionaire heiress and business executive.
She was born on January 20, 1959. She is one of four daughters of Forrest Mars Jr., who inherited one-third of Mars Inc. from his father. When Mars Jr. passed away, each of his daughters inherited 8% of the company, equivalent to $5.9 billion.
After earning her undergraduate degree from Yale, she attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned her MBA in 1984; she worked
at various companies in New York, Manufacturers Hanover Trust, and Whitman Hefferman Rhei.
In 1992, Victoria B. Mars joined Mars Inc. and worked on M&M brand projects. Today, she serves as a company ambassador who focuses on joint ventures and acquisitions. She also is a member of the Board of Directors for Mars.
She is married with four kids and lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The history behind the brand
In 1910, Victoria's great-grandfather Frank Mars founded Mars.
In a small town in Minnesota, a young boy named Frank Mars had polio that prohibited him from walking. Yet, his mother liked to keep him entertained, so she taught him to hand-dip chocolate.
When Frank was 27 years old, he had a bright idea, selling buttercream candy bars from his kitchen in Tacoma, Washington. Frank moved to Minnesota and expanded his candy bar business ten years later.
Milky Way was a big hit.
In 1923, Frank Mars and his son Forrest Sr. created a new candy bar named Milky Way that was a great success. This success motivated them to move the company to Chicago. They wanted a centralized location with railroads, and Chicago was perfect.
The father and son continued to grow their products.
In Chicago, the Mars family focused on producing great products, so by 1940, Snickers brand, 3 Musketeers, and M&M'S were born. The company also kept expanding with new products like Whiskas.
Today, Mars Inc's revenue exceeds $45 B, and it has 130,000 employees in over 80 countries.
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