M&M'S® Chocolate Candies were first sold in 1941, and soon became a favorite of the American GIs serving in World War II. Packaged in cardboard tubes, they were sold to the military as a convenient snack that traveled well in any climate. By the late 1940s, they were widely available to the public, who gave them an excellent reception. In 1948, their packaging changed from a tube form to the characteristic brown pouch we know today.

Fast forward. In 1995—over a half-century after the candies were first introduced—consumers across America helped write a new chapter in the history of M&M'S® Brand. A "mega" marketing event asked Americans to vote for a new color to appear in the traditional M&M'S® Chocolate Candies color mix. Their choices included blue, pink and purple—or no change. Blue won by a landslide, with 54% of the more than 10 million votes cast. Also in 1995, M&M'S® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits were introduced, adding colorful chocolate fun to the world of baking.

“In between, in those sixty years since the brand was born, M&Ms have diversified to include candy collections for all major holidays and peanut, mini and even personalized candies,” says Monte Brooks, plant director for the Hackettstown plant of MasterFoods USA , the exclusive makers of M&M's Chocolate Candies. “There is a tremendous personal pride in the manufacture of this product that is directly tied to the Five Principles of Masterfoods USA .”

Today, the Hackettstown plant employs more than 400 associates and produces over 500 million M&M'S each day. Monte, who has been with the company for 20 years, notes that since the Five Principles were formalized at the company in 1977, they have become an integral part of the culture of the operation “Associates, when evaluating activities or programs are often heard to make comments like “is that mutuality? Or ‘we need to take responsibility to ensure that happens'” which is indicative of how seriously these values are ingrained in the mindset here.”

The Five Principles at Masterfoods are:  

Quality :  The consumer is our boss, quality is our work and value for money is our goal.
Responsibility :  As individuals, we demand total responsibility from ourselves; as associates, we support the responsibilities of others.
Mutuality :  A mutual benefit is a shared benefit; a shared benefit will endure.
Efficiency :  We use resources to the full, waste nothing and do only what we do best.
Freedom :  We need freedom to shape our future, we need profit to remain free.

“Unlike other companies who are just developing their values or are revising existing values, our Five Principles have been part of what we do daily for nearly 30 years, comments Marlyn Lazo, manager, Consumer Care & Community Relations.  “They are the lens through which we evaluate everything we do.   The Five Principles are often referred to when evaluating individual and team performance.”  

“The Five Principles are evident everywhere,” she continues.  “They are embraced and communicated from the very top of the organization.  They are printed on our business cards.  They are engraved on large bronze plaques that are displayed at all offices and factories -- often in more than one language.  Associates are interviewed about how they are practicing The Five Principles and the responses published in our corporate newsletter.”

The company includes an "e-learning" section of its internal website that includes a section on The Five Principles.  In addition to communicating the principles and how they are to be applied, there are associate testimonials from around the world in a section entitled, "The Five Principles in Practice."  Associates can learn how others are practicing the principles as well as submit their own examples of how The Five Principles guide their daily business decisions.  

Masterfoods USA , the United States food, snack and petcare operations of Mars, Incorporated, is one of the world's leading food manufacturers.  With more than $5 billion in annual sales, the combined food, snack and petcare segments are a symbol of excellence for quality brands.  Headquartered in Hackettstown , NJ , Masterfoods USA employs more than 7,000 associates in the United States , with 15 manufacturing facilities nationwide.  The company owns some of the world's favorite brands including M&M'S® Brand, SNICKERS® Brand, UNCLE BEN'S® Brand, PEDIGREE® Brand Food For Dogs, WHISKAS® Brand Food For Cats.

The parent company, Mars, Incorporated, is a privately-held company that produces some of the world's leading confectionery, food, petcare, beverage, electronics products, and now health food, and operates in more than 65 countries.  Headquartered in McLean , Virginia , Mars, Incorporated employs more than 7,000 associates in the United States and 39,000 associates worldwide with 15 manufacturing facilities nationally and more than 100 manufacturing facilities globally. The company's global sales exceed $18 billion annually.

History link

http://www.masterfoodsusa.com/About_us/The_Mars_story.asp

M&M Trivia

The 50's When America entered the 1950s, M&M'S® Plain Chocolate Candies were quickly becoming a household word, particularly with the growth of television. In 1954, M&M'S® Peanut Chocolate Candies were introduced to the Brand's portfolio, and sales of both varieties continued to grow. That same year, the universally loved M&M'S® Brand Characters and the famous slogan, "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth—not in your hand"®, debuted in the initial TV advertising.

The 60's In 1960, M&M'S® Peanut Chocolate Candies added three new colors—red, green and yellow—to the original brown color.

The 70's In 1972, the M&M'S® Brand Characters first appeared on packaging, and became increasingly known through print and TV advertising, reinforcing Brand awareness. In 1976, orange was added to the M&M'S® Peanut Chocolate Candies color mix. Also in 1976, due to public controversy surrounding a particular red food coloring, red M&M'S® Chocolate Candies were removed from the traditional color mix. The red food coloring in question was not actually used in M&M'S® Chocolate Candies. However, to avoid consumer confusion, the red candies were pulled from the color mix.

The 80's In 1981, M&M'S® Chocolate Candies were chosen by the first space shuttle astronauts to be included in their food supply. M&M'S® Chocolate Candies are now on permanent display at the space food exhibit of the National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C. In the early 1980s, a special holiday line of M&M'S® Chocolate Candy products was launched. The new seasonal color blends included red and green colors for Christmas, and pastel colors for Easter. Also in the '80s, M&M'S® Brand accelerated its international expansion, primarily entering the European markets. 1987 was a very important year in the history of M&M'S® Brand, as red was returned to the traditional color mix—due to overwhelming request from consumers.

The 90's The 1990s brought two new products to the M&M'S® Brand family: M&M'S® Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies and M&M'S® Almond Chocolate Candies.

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