M&M chocolates were launched in 1941 and their first major customer was the United States Army.
Photo: Roman Samokhin / Shutterstock
Forrest Edward Mars Sr., who was the son of the owner of the Mars company, was the inventor of the M&M. While working for his father, Franklin Clarence Mars, Forrest also created some well-known chocolate bars such as Milky Way, Snickers, and the Mars bar.
Despite his successes, Forrest had disagreements with his father because he wanted to grow the chocolate business abroad, while Franklin wanted Mars to stay on its own in the United States, according to the LAD Bible.
Forrest was in Europe during the Spanish Civil War and observed many people eating chocolate wrapped in a sugar coating.. So, he came up with the idea of bringing this product to the United States.
Forrest brought the idea of chocolate wrapped in a sugar shell to the United States, but Mars did not have enough chocolate to make this new product.
To solve this problem, Forrest decided to partner with his main competitor: Hershey, who promised him a constant supply of chocolate.
He made this deal with Bruce Murrie, son of Hershey’s president at the time, William Murrie.
The two sons agreed to make the new sugar-wrapped chocolates.
The name “M&M’s” was created using the first letters of creators Mars and Murrie’s last names.
These sweets were launched in 1941 and quickly found a big customer during World War II: the US Army..
And it is that the M&M’s were easy for the soldiers to carry without worrying that the chocolate would melt, thanks to its sugar coating. Hence his famous phrase: “Chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hands.”
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