Mars Ice Cream Details $1 Billion by 2030 Goal, Announces Additional Plant Upgrades

June 27, 2023

Burr Ridge, Ill., processing facility will get an additional $20 million investment after already seeing $50 million in upgrades, according to a report.

Andy Hanacek

Mars Inc.’s Ice Cream business shed further light on the ambitious target set for its ice cream business — aiming to grow the business to $1 billion by 2030 — in a release distributed by the company this week formally discussing the goal. The ice cream business represents a portion of Mars’ business in confectionery, snacks and pet care products, and it includes the Dovebar, Snickers, Twix and Kind frozen treat brands.

In relation to reaching the goal, Mars told CNBC that it would invest further in its Burr Ridge, Ill., processing facility to help achieve the billion-dollar goal. The company has poured $50 million into the plant in recent years and will spend an additional $20 million to help it expand production further.

In May, Mars tapped Anton Vincent, president of Mars Wrigley North America, to lead the ice cream business, and in those reports, the billion-dollar goal was discussed as one of Vincent’s primary tasks in the new role. According to the Mars release on the target, the global ice cream market is project to reach nearly $105 billion by 2029, and Mars owns several of the top-selling products in the U.S. frozen novelty category, including Snickers Ice Cream Bars, M&M’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, Twix Ice Cream and Kind Frozen treats.

Mars Inc. owns 12 brands at or over $1 billion in its snacks, pet and food categories — including M&M’s candy, Extra gum, Pedigree pet food and Royal Canin pet food.

“At Mars, we see an opportunity to grow our ice cream business not only in North America, but around the globe,” Vincent said in the company release. “We’re innovating with a focus on product and purpose and expanding our global manufacturing capabilities to ensure we can meet rapidly rising consumer demand.”

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.