New Plant for Mars

Mars Chocolate North America officially opened the doors of a new, roughly 500,000-square-foot facility in Topeka, Kan.

March 27/Topeka, Kan./Press Release -- Mars Chocolate North America officially opened the doors of a new, state-of-the-art, roughly 500,000-square-foot facility in Topeka, Kan. The facility -- the first new Mars Chocolate North America site built in the last 35 years -- is expected to help the company meet the demands of consumers for the next 50 years by producing M&M’S and SNICKERS sustainably.

“This new $270 million facility, which will bring 200 new jobs to Topeka, is one of the largest investments in Mars history,” said Debra A. Sandler, president, Mars Chocolate North America. “For more than 100 years, Mars has been committed to making our products in the markets where we sell them, and this facility -- in America’s heartland -- is further proof of our commitment.”

Mars Chocolate North America broke ground on the Topeka facility in August 2011. The plant is continuing to pursue onsite renewable energy and is working to incorporate a number of innovative solutions into the design and construction of the facility, such as sending no waste to landfills in order to achieve U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The company has also worked hand-in-hand with a number of federal, state and local officials since the site selection to make the site a reality.

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