Mars Inc. invested $49 million in its Columbus, Ohio facility to bring Temptations Lickable Treats production to the United States, with capacity to produce over 400 million pouches annually. This investment is part of Mars's record $1.4 billion commitment to U.S. manufacturing and operations in 2027.
- $49 million investment in Columbus, Ohio wet pet food facility for Temptations Lickable Treats production
- New facility will produce over 400 million pouches annually with advanced mixing and filling technology
- Mars has invested $162 million total in the Columbus site since 2022
- Record $1.4 billion planned for U.S. manufacturing and operations in 2027, the company's largest single-year investment
Mars Inc. has invested $49 million in its wet pet food facility in Columbus, Ohio, to bring production of its Temptations Lickable Treats to the U.S., the company announced Nov. 10.
The investment adds new mixing and filling technology and creates capacity to produce more than 400 million Lickable Treats pouches a year. Mars has invested a total of $162 million in the Columbus site since 2022.
The Columbus project is among the company’s 2026 investments, announced alongside plans to invest an estimated $1.4 billion in U.S. manufacturing and operations in 2027, the most Mars has invested in a single year. The company said it has invested more than $9 billion in its U.S. operations since 2017.
“As Mars marks 115 years in business, our commitment to American manufacturing has never been stronger,” said Claus Aagaard, chief financial officer of Mars. “Ninety-four percent of the Mars products sold in the U.S. are made here, reflecting decades of investment in our people, operations and the communities in which we do business. Our continued investments build for the future — expanding our manufacturing capabilities, accelerating growth across our portfolio and services and ensuring we can meet the evolving needs of consumers for generations to come.”
As part of the 2027 commitment, Mars will invest more than $34 million early next year to open four new Mars Veterinary Health hospitals. Three BluePearl Pet Hospitals will open in Ellicott City, Maryland, and Austin and Katy, Texas, and a Banfield Pet Hospital will open in Wilmington, North Carolina. The facilities will provide emergency and specialty veterinary care and are expected to create up to 195 jobs.
Other investments
Mars invested $60 million to build two manufacturing lines for its Trü Frü frozen snacks brand within its Salt Lake City factory, which opened last year to produce Nature’s Bakery products. The $240 million site can produce more than 1 billion Nature’s Bakery snack bars a year and will now have capacity to produce 17 million Trü Frü frozen products annually. Trü Frü has been headquartered in Salt Lake City since 2025.
The company’s Waco, Texas, facility marks 50 years of operations this month. Mars has invested $165 million in the site since 2024, with recent projects focused on energy efficiency. The facility produces more than 56 billion pieces of Snickers, Starburst and Skittles candies each year and handles recipe development and format innovation for those brands.
Mars employs 80,000 people in the U.S. across more than 60 factories, research labs and offices, as well as more than 2,000 veterinary clinics and hospitals. The company added 15 facilities in the past year through its acquisition of Kellanova.
