The Weird Link Between Dog Food and Mars Bars

How did Mars go from a failed family candy business to the beginnings of one of the biggest chocolate companies in the world?In this episode of The Chocolate Podcast, Ed Easton and Andrew Nason are joined by Melt’s Kitty to uncover the extraordinary story of Frank Mars and Forrest Mars, the father and son behind the Mars chocolate empire. From making candy at home and failed early businesses to a family feud that would transform the chocolate industry, the story of Mars is far stranger than you might expect. We trace the creation of the Milky Way and Mars Bar, discover why the American Milky Way is completely different from the British one, and follow Forrest Mars from a Chicago prison to Yale, Swiss chocolate factories, Cadbury and, eventually, Slough, where he began building his own chocolate empire.Along the way, we explore the birth of the modern candy bar, the industrialisation of chocolate, Mars's surprising move into pet food, and the bitter relationship between Frank and Forrest that ultimately left Forrest frozen out of the family company after his father's death.And that's only the first half of the story.Next episode: What happens when Forrest Mars returns to America determined to take control of the company that bears his name?Follow The Chocolate Podcast for more stories exploring the history, science and people behind chocolate.Topics: Mars chocolate history, Mars Bar history, Milky Way chocolate, Forrest Mars, Frank Mars, history of chocolate, chocolate industry, candy bar history, Mars Incorporated, British chocolate history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.