As a millennial myself, I can't help but get excited about the ice cream offerings from Mars. Ever since they acquired Dovebar 35 years ago, Mars has been expanding its range of ice cream products. Now, their ambitious goal is to grow the business to a whopping $1 billion by 2030.
The global ice cream market is projected to reach a staggering $104.96 billion by 2029, a significant increase from $73.62 billion in 2021. And Mars is already a dominant player, with several of their products ranking among the top sellers in the frozen novelty category in the United States. Who can resist Snickers Ice Cream Bars, M&M's Ice Cream Sandwiches, Twix Ice Cream, or Kind Frozen treats? Mars currently boasts twelve billion-dollar brands worldwide across snacking, pet, and food categories. Achieving $1 billion in sales would position Mars Ice Cream alongside these other successful billion-dollar brands, including M&M's candy, Extra gum, Snickers bars, Pedigree and Royal Canin pet foods, and Mars' VCA veterinary clinic chain.
Shaf Lalani, the general manager for Mars Ice Cream, believes that the widespread popularity of iconic Mars brands presents an excellent opportunity to introduce innovative Mars Ice Cream products to consumers. "Mars Wrigley North America is committed to driving growth while making a positive societal impact, starting with our vanilla for Dovebar and empowering women across our supply chain," Lalani explains.
The Dovebar, one of Mars Ice Cream's flagship products, exemplifies their commitment to sustainability. From farm to factory to freezer, these silky-smooth bars are created with a positive societal impact in mind.
Mars sources sustainably grown ingredients, aligning with their purpose of shaping a better tomorrow through responsible business practices. Dovebars are made with 100% real ice cream using vanilla sourced from a large-scale project in Madagascar. In collaboration with the Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming (L3F), Mars aims to enhance the lives of 2,700 vanilla farmers, with a specific focus on empowering female farmers, improving financial stability, preserving local biodiversity, and establishing a resilient vanilla supply chain.
Sustainability is also at the core of Mars' operations. Their ice cream Dovebars are produced at the Mars Wrigley Burr Ridge facility in Illinois, which sources 100% renewable electricity and generates zero waste that goes to landfills.
In addition, Mars is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into innovative sustainable packaging. Their goal is for 100% of all Mars packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. As part of this effort, Mars recently reduced the plastic film gauge in their Dove Ice Cream Bars, resulting in the elimination of 27 tons of plastic annually across four different product offerings.
Anton Vincent, President at Mars Wrigley North America and newly appointed head of Mars Ice Cream globally, sees immense potential for growth not only in North America but also worldwide. "We're focused on product innovation and purpose, while expanding our global manufacturing capabilities to meet the rapidly increasing consumer demand," Vincent affirms.
With their commitment to sustainability and their delicious range of ice cream products, Mars Ice Cream is well on its way to achieving its lofty $1 billion growth target. As a millennial, I can't wait to indulge in their innovative treats while knowing that they're making a positive impact on the world.
