(This is a view of what the M&M Mars plant in Waco looked like during the 1980s.)

The M&M Mars company was created back in the 1920s by a man named Frank Mars when he opened up a small confectioner’s store in Seattle. After that store failed, he moved to Minneapolis and began making the Milky Way bar. The creation and sale of the Milky Way bar spurred their business to become popular and led to the creation of many other operations in different cities. A task force was instructed to be in search for a plant west of the Mississippi to go with existing facilities. North Texas was chosen for its freight connections after the task force studied business trends. From there, they decided to expand to Waco because of its water situation, sewer capabilities, the site availability, an available labor force, and the real interest expressed by the town fathers. However, the main reason M&M Mars created a plant in Waco was for the people. The people in Waco take pride in their work and have extreme commitment and dedication to everything they put their minds to.

(Here we have Forrest E. Mars, the founder of M&M Mars, and Howard A. Mitchell, in charge of the Waco plant, breaking ground where the Waco plant is to be built.)

The company first broke ground for the new plant in 1973 and was destined to become the largest candy making facility in the worldwide Mars organization. After the opening of the factory, one ideal that helped the company to become successful was that they took the approach that its employees are not lazy, dishonest, or should be treated like children. This is unique for the Waco plant because other companies start with the premise that its employees are dishonest and you need to watch them, but not Mars. The M&M Mars in Waco is majorly based on a team concept and believes that everyone wins or loses together. All workers are seen on the same level and are treated equally. No one has a reserved parking spot, everyone shares the locker room, and there aren’t private offices to make communication a whole lot easier.

(This is a glimpse into the lives of workers in the M&M Mars Waco plant. They have an open work area that easily allows for workers to talk to one another and work together.)

Just as the company believes all employees have a common stake and interest in the company, M&M Mars looks out for the interests of the local economy. The local plant uses Waco firms for all maintenance and upkeep chores. Waco Mars is highly invested in the community. Likewise, they have a stake in a healthy local economy, so they try to incorporate and make use of as many local services as possible.

The Waco M&M Mars plant was the top site for candy corporation expansion in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1977, the company planned to double their Starburst production because the candy had become so popular. They also decided to enlarge their locker room for the employees since they increased employment in the factory. Waco Mars expanded their plant to add a Starburst wrapping room because in 1981, the Waco plant was the only producer of Starburst Fruit Chews, which was the number one non-chocolate candy in the country. Throughout these years, M&M Mars spent one million dollars in expanding the Waco plant to produce Skittles, Twix bars, and more Starburst Fruit Chews. Skittles proved to be a major success for the M&M Mars Waco plant because they surpassed Starburst Fruit Chews in terms of popularity. They were also able to generate a large percentage of the firm’s Snickers bars sold in the United States. The Waco plant exclusively manufactured Skittles, Starburst Fruit Chews, and Twix during this time, generating a large revenue that they fed back into the expansion of the company. The M&M Mars plant in Waco was able to get itself into a healthy cycle of producing large quantities of candy, generating a high revenue, and putting their revenue toward expanding the company for more production.

 

(Left: A couple of the candies that the Waco plant produces are shown above, some of which are exclusive to the Waco plant. Right: Here are some of the workers preparing the Twix candy to be shipped from the plant.)

The Waco plant was able to earn many awards for their plant production. They earned the 9002 quality certification, making the plant the first confectionary manufacturing plant in the world, and the only finished-goods plant in the United States. This award is based on inspecting what the plant does and how well it does it. The M&M Mars in Waco surpassed their expectations with their cleanliness and attention to detail. They also received the Lloyds Register of Quality Assurance certificate which was an ante into the game. This award was important for the Waco plant because quality has become something that is mandatory, not that is desired.

M&M Mars expanded their candy production to include the Hispanic market. They launched a new M&M candy called Dulce de Leche-Caramel Chocolate Candies. The release of these candies began in Miami, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Antonio and McAllen-Brownsville, five predominately Hispanic markets, to get a feel of how the candy will be received. The varieties they sold were designed to have Hispanic tastebuds in mind. After the candy exploded in the five Hispanic regions, M&M Mars had a nationwide rollout of the candy.

The Waco plant experienced a fire in 2017 near the loading docks. It was caused by a malfunction in one of the refrigerated trailers and the wind spread the fire to five other trailers. The fire was contained to the loading docks and had no reports of injuries. The plant was evacuated, but the employees were able to re-enter the building after a couple hours. The fire produced smoke that made it hard for drivers to see through on nearby roadways. The town was encouraged to avoid the intersection of Mars Drive and Texas Central Parkway along with Imperial Drive due to the smoke for that day. There was no internal damage to the Waco plant and it was able to continue their production of candy.

M&M Mars in Waco has been one of the pride and joys of the people in the working community. It is a staple for how everyone working should be treated and is also a model for how a business should be run.

        

(Left: According to the Waco Tribune-Herald on June 25, 2007, the M&M Mars in Waco sought to use landfill gas for power. They transitioned to using methane to power the plant, even if it took longer to produce. Doing this has helped the environment since methane is the worst greenhouse gas. Right: According to Austin American-Statesman on August 3, 1997, the waste that the Waco plant produced was too rich with organic materials that it couldn’t be sent directly to a treatment facility. A solution the Waco plant found was to try an experimental vertical flow reed bed that helps filter out solids from the wastewater.)

(Billy Joe Southwell recalls his experience working at the M&M Mars plant in Waco. ~ Source Southwell, Billy Joe, Interviewed by Robert Gamboa, April 28, 2014 in Waco, TX. Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, TX.)

 

Works Cited:

Bennett, John, “Photo of M&M Mars groundbreaking,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 27, 1976. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“Plant Manager Relates View Toward Workers,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 18, 1977. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Darden, Bob, “Waco Was Top Site for Candy Corporation Expansion.” Waco Tribune-Herald, July 23, 1980. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

O’Grady, Eileen, “Inustry in Waco M&M/Mars Plant Employees Have Tastiest Jobs in Town,” Waco Tribune-Herald, January 11, 1981. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“Celebrates A Decade Of Progress In Waco During Texas’ Sesquicentennial Year,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 27, 1986. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “M&M Mars to spend $1 million expanding Waco operations,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 8, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “Skittles spell success for M&M-Mars,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 9, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

“M&M/MARS Expansion –  A Vote of Confidence for Waco,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 26, 1987. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Nelson, Alan, “M&M-Mars plant chief oversaw steady growth,” Waco Tribune-Herald, January 22, 1989. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Copeland, Mike, “Prestigious award a sweet success for M&M Mars plant,” and “MARS Facility takes prestigious honor,” Waco Tribute-Herald, November 20, 1994. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Black, Richard C., “Waco plant finds alternative to dumping waste,” Austin American-Statesman, August 3, 1997. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Corzo, Cynthia, “M&M candies target Hispanic population,” Valley Morning Star, July 11, 2001. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Bond, Pamela, “Mars plant seeks to use landfill gas for power,” Waco Tribune-Herald, June 25, 2007. The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Hoppa, Kristin, “Industrial fire affects Mars Chocolate facility,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 2, 2017.