America is among the top five global leaders in chocolate bar production. This is no coincidence, as the world’s first chocolate bar was invented and produced in this country.
The birth of this popular treat took place in the early 20th century (1923). Confectioner Franklin Clarence Mars, eager to create a convenient and quick snack, decided to wrap a piece of chocolate with filling in a wrapper. Thanks to Franklin’s brilliant idea, the world got such universally known brands as Milky Way, Snickers, and Mars, named after the confectioner himself.
With his invention, the chocolatier managed to surpass Milton Hershey, the second confectionery manufacturer in the top ten. He was the first to come up with selling small portions of chocolate and devised logistics but couldn’t develop a convenient wrapper and treat consistency. His chocolates were hard to unwrap and made hands dirty, giving Mars an advantage.
However, regardless of who first thought of the dessert idea, it is an indisputable fact that the United States was its source. Today, the country produces the world’s most popular chocolate bars.
Today, we will examine manufacturers delighting sweet-toothed fans in America, Europe, and Asia with their masterpieces. The balanced composition and exquisite taste combinations of their products are the pinnacle of confectionery art. As for which brand is better, it’s a matter of choice and personal preference.
Mars, Incorporated
Interestingly, the world-renowned giant could have been called not Mars but Mar-O-Bar. That’s the name Franklin Mars gave to his company when registering the family business in 1920, which had started in the millionaire’s home kitchen in Tacoma nine years earlier.
Franklin made fudges and released candies named after his daughter. In 1922, he tried the first chocolate bar recipe, calling it Mar-O-Bar. The product turned out too delicate and unsuitable for transport. However, the Milky Way recipe, born a year later, was much more successful and quickly gained popularity. Revenues of $700,000 allowed the family to move to Chicago, build a large factory, and hire sales representatives. Since then, the business has grown even more.
Now, the company is called Mars Incorporated. It still sells chocolate bars and is owned by the Mars family. But it has expanded so much that it is now the world’s largest confectionery company and owns nearly 70 brands. Its labels Twix, Bounty, Mars, Snickers, and Milky Way are known on all continents. Besides sweets, the company offers chewing gum (Juicy Fruit, Orbit), quick meals (Uncle Ben’s), and pet food (Pedigree, Whiskas, Royal Canin). The company has subsidiaries in England and France.
The giant’s logo perfectly reflects the essence of the corporation. Large blue letters symbolize dreams and broad horizons. Franklin, a frail boy with polio, dreamed of his chocolate company since childhood. Legend has it that he started businesses three times and failed twice, leading to a divorce from his first wife. It was only the dream that kept him moving forward and eventually led to victory. Blue is the color of the family, service to people, and hard work.
Bounty
One of Forrest Mars’ later creations, Bounty production, began in 1951. The name Bounty has very romantic origins; it is the name of the ship on which British sailors arrived in Tahiti. Marrying local women, the crew refused to serve the British Crown. To escape persecution by the authorities, they found an island not marked on English maps and settled in a coconut paradise.
The widely recognized advertisement for the treat featured this fairy tale haven with perfect beaches and palm trees. The modern logo Bounty, with slightly rough white letters, light blue edging, and a shadow, conveys the texture and color of coconut shavings. The shadows are associated with the blue waves washing ashore.
The treat is produced in Europe and imported as a finished product to America.
Dove
Originally, when people in Chicago heard the word Dove, they knew it referred to ice cream covered in chocolate, which Greek Leo Stefanos offered in his stores since 1956. His son, Michael, expanded the sales. In 1984, he presented the product at a national exhibition, attracting the attention of Mars Incorporated, who bought the brand in 1986.
Now, chocolate ice cream bars are available with dark and milk chocolate, mint, chocolate, and vanilla fillings. In addition to ice cream, there are options with fruit, caramel, and peanut butter.
The brand’s emblem immediately transports the user to the world of chocolate. The inscription, elegantly poured with thin streams of sweetness, begs to be licked. The addition of “silky smooth” emphasizes the smooth shine of the chocolate coating on each bar. The word Dove translates to “pigeon” – a small ambassador of peace. The name referred to the cozy store that gave a second life to immigrants from a faraway country.
Mars
The recipe’s author is considered to be the founder’s son, Forrest Mars, Sr. The candy bar’s name, which echoes the name of the god of war, is no coincidence. Father and son started working together in the company in 1929 and had constant clashes. Young Mars wanted to turn the company into an international conglomerate, which differed from the more grounded ambitions of the older generation.
Eventually, the father sent his son to try his luck in Europe, allocating a small budget for promotion. It was in the British town of Slough, where Forrest settled, that a new future member of the sweet kingdom was born in 1932. It consisted of caramel and nougat in chocolate.
The candy bar officially became part of Mars Incorporated only in 1964 when Forrest Mars finally won a lawsuit against the relatives of his father’s second wife. After the founder’s death, they didn’t want to return control to the rightful heir. After the victory, both businesses (European and American) merged into a single corporation.
Interestingly, in America, Forrest’s original recipe is similar to that of the Milky Way candy bar, while Mars refers to a chocolate candy with nougat and nuts.
The candy bar’s logo looks very impressive. Combining a black background and red-gold lettering creates a sense of exclusivity. It’s not by chance. Originally, candy bars were not cheap, and only people from high society could afford them.
The multiple layers of the emblem indicate the layers of the product. The black oval represents cocoa beans, the gold border represents caramel, and the red lettering represents nougat.
Don’t forget that red is the color of Mars, the god of war.
The upward rise of the letters symbolizes the increase in energy provided by the candy bars. The first advertisement for the product emphasized these very properties of the chocolate bar.
Snickers
This candy bar is the third to be created after Milky Way and Mar-O-Bar. Its recipe, consisting of a combination of peanuts, caramel, and nougat covered in chocolate, was developed by the company’s founder in 1923. However, large-scale production began in 1930.
The name of the product has nothing to do with food. The candy bar was named after a racehorse. Towards the end of his life, the chocolate king became passionate about breeding horses. He built Milky Way Farms with stables and an arena. His favorite horse was named Snickers, which translates to “quiet laughter.”
That’s why the candy bar’s logo Snickers resembles running during a race. The strong forward slant of the capital letters represents momentum. Just as a jockey leaning into the horse accelerates it, the candy bar provides a boost of energy and vitality. This energizing ability was used by the military for a long time to replenish their strength.
The thin red border, resembling the shape of the candy bar itself, also indicates energy and delightful taste.
The Hershey Company
The corporation’s founder, which was offered 15 billion dollars in 2017, only completed the 4th grade. Perhaps this is what led to 5 failed business attempts. Only on the 6th attempt, when nobody believed in the success of young Milton Hershey, did fortune finally smile on the confectioner.
One successful recipe made the 27-year-old caramel maker the richest resident of the city. He earned a million dollars, which he spent on making up for gaps in his education. The young man traveled the world, studying the confectionery business and collecting ideas.
It was then that he realized – the future was in the chocolate. He sold the caramel business and pursued a new direction. By 1905, Hershey’s chocolate bar was born. The next hit was Hershey’s Kisses, still produced today at a rate of 70 million pieces per day. Among other famous recipes are the military Hershey’s Tropical Chocolate Bar, Mr. Goodbar with peanuts, and the crunchy Krackel bar.
Today, the company has a net profit of $1.5 billion and owns 19 factories worldwide. Its lucrative deals and mergers with other companies have brought an array of globally known products into its portfolio. Hershey’s has owned Reese’s since 1963, has had distribution rights for Nestlé’s Kit Kat and Rolo in the US since 1969, and acquired the rights to produce Cadbury products in 1988.
The scale of the corporation, producing tons of products, is encapsulated in its logo. The large dark brown Hershey inscription appears to be made of chocolate and stands above the other elements, symbolizing the unshakable giant. The Hershey’s Kisses candy serves as the visual icon, the most famous product developed by Milton. It ensures recognition and hints at an eastern sweet tale.
The entrepreneur spent all his business earnings helping people. He built an entire town for his workers and his estate, and 31% of the company’s shares went to an industrial school for orphans. Even after his death, Hershey managed to create a true fairy tale for everyone who came into contact with him.
Almond Joy and Mounds
These two bars are the main competitors of Bounty, produced in America by an immigrant from Armenia, Peter Paul. He invented his hits before Mars. In the 1930s, Mounds, and Dreams (the predecessor of Almond Joy) were among the top five best-selling sweets in the US. The bars were in such high demand that they allowed the company to weather the Depression and World War II without financial hardship.
In 1978, Cadbury bought the production, and ten years later, Hershey acquired it. Now, Mounds (coconut in chocolate) and Almond Joy (coconut and almond in chocolate) are produced at a factory in Virginia and differ only in the color of their packaging.
The logos of the sweets are designed in the same style and focus the attention of consumers on the taste of the products. They feature a chocolate inscription on a white background. The white background hints at the sweet white coconut pulp with sugar, while the letters symbolize the outer layer of chocolate.
Cadbury
The history of the world’s second-largest company, after Mars Incorporated, began with a small Quaker shop opened by John Cadbury in 1824 in England. Among other items, the businessman offered hot chocolate. The drink was so popular that within seven years, John switched entirely to chocolate production, bringing his brother on board as well.
The company transitioned from a liquid to solid confections, releasing the first Cadbury candies in 1868. Today, Cadbury is no longer associated with the Quaker family. The last representative left the board in 2000. In 2010, the giant became part of Mondelez International.
However, despite the change in ownership, the company’s logo is imbued with the spirit of the founding family and features the signature of Richard Cadbury in gold. The company’s work reflected all the principles and viewed the family held in life. Being Quakers, the brothers chose chocolate to keep people away from drunkenness. They built a factory and a village in nature to bring their workers closer to God. They created the best working conditions, guided by their conscience. The signature on the emblem represents the gold standard in business conduct, which is still adhered to today.
Under license, Cadbury sweets in America are produced by Hershey’s. The most famous bars are Dairy Milk, Cadbury Caramello, and Cadbury Fruit & Nut. The licensee has slightly altered the recipes. Therefore, the American shelves feature the Cadbury variant from Hershey’s, not the original.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Invented in 1928 by dairyman Harry Burnett Reese, the famous Reese’s cups were first produced in the basement of his home and sold for one cent each. He was a very enterprising young man. Before entering the confectionery business, he had been a farmer, frog breeder, fish supplier, and laborer. His main motivation was the need to feed his 16 children.
Interestingly, the manufacturer left Hershey’s to start his own business. However, 30 years later, in 1963, six of his sons sold the company, returning it to Hershey’s fold. By 1963, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were the company’s best-selling product, and in 2012, they became the best-selling candy in the US.
The yellow lettering with a brown background and outline on Reese’s logo displays the cup’s structure. The brown chocolate base is filled with a yellowish peanut butter filling. The letters appear to be made from streams of the sweet dessert. The shades suggest a good mood and the wonderful aftertaste left by the chocolate products.
Nestlé
The history of the intercontinental brand began, as it should, with its infancy. It is very first product was infant milk formulas. Later, the company’s portfolio expanded to include ice cream, chocolate, coffee, cereals, and water. In total, 2000 brands are produced at 500 factories and sold in 189 countries.
Young pharmacist Henri Nestlé emigrated to Switzerland, changed his name to Henri, and sought a path in life different from that of all his glassworker ancestors. He conducted chemical experiments, developed a business for the production of mustard, lemonade, and liqueur, and finally, in 1867, found a best-selling product – a baby food mixture made of dry milk, processed flour, and sugar.
His method of obtaining dry milk greatly interested his neighbor Daniel Peter, who owned a chocolate-making company. They signed a contract, and Peter, taking milk according to Nestlé’s recipe and mixing it with chocolate, invented milk chocolate. The friends joined forces, creating a joint-stock company, and later merged with their main competitors in Switzerland, the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, run by the Page brothers, who also sold infant formula. The merged company was named Nestlé, as it was Henri’s inventions that made the products of both his partners perfect.
The founder’s surname, Henri Nestlé, translates from German to “nest.” The family’s coat of arms featured a bird in a nest. When Henri invented his dry milk for infant nutrition, he transformed the coat of arms into his trademark. The nest now featured three chicks (according to some versions, they represented the three founding brothers). Eventually, one chick was removed to bring the nested model closer to the average family, which typically had two children.
Nestlé’s sweet products are represented in America through other licensed manufacturers or are imported in their finished form from Europe.
Kit Kat
The chocolate-covered wafer bar is a story in which the name appeared before the product itself. Rowntree registered the trademark in 1911, and the bar’s recipe was developed in 1935. The combination of the name and recipe happened in 1937, giving birth to Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp. The bar is produced in the US by Hershey under a license obtained from Rowntree. Even when Nestlé acquired the company, Hershey maintained the right to produce the bar in America.
Product logos and advertising styles within and outside the US differed and have only recently started to correspond. In America, the packaging features the name within an ellipse. The letters are voluminous, and the elements of the K resemble the bar’s wafers. In the upper-left corner of the figure is a modified heart, seemingly made of chocolate with a wafer layer. Inside the heart is the Nestlé brand name. Overall, the composition reflects customers’ love and vibrant taste, hinting at a quick sweet snack chosen by the majority.
Lion
The modern recipe of the wafer, rice flakes, and caramel bar covered in chocolate differs from the original one developed by confectioner Alan Norman and released by British Rowntree in 1976. Nestlé, having bought the brand in 1988, conducted testing and collected impressions from 650,000 customers. Afterward, they updated the bar’s coating, removed peanut oil, and softened the caramel, making the composition perfect.
In promoting the product, the company targets a male audience. Therefore, the logo was designed with strength in mind. The name of the chocolate bar, Lion, is associated with wildness and power. In the logo, the crunch of the filling is represented as a lion’s roar, and the name itself comes out of the predator’s mouth. The emblem demonstrates that the bar provides strength, confidence, and energy.
Tootsie Roll
The delicious candy bar, resembling a mix of caramel, toffee, and chocolate, has been produced in America since 1907. Its creator, Leo Hirschfield, was a member of the Austrian Jewish community. He immigrated to the US in search of a better life. The candy recipe was developed for his daughter Clara, and he named it after her nickname, Tootsie (sweetheart).
Lacking funds for large-scale production, the businessman found a sponsoring company. That company produced Leo’s patented sweets, and he became the vice president of Sweets Company of America (then Stern & Stalberg) in 1917.
In 1920, the confectioner decided to try starting his own business, opening Mells Candy. However, he couldn’t withstand the “solo voyage” and ended his life two years later.
Despite the death of its creator and owner, the recipe continued to live on. Tootsie Roll packaging supplier Joseph Rubin & Sons bought Hirschfield’s company. Under the leadership of several generations of the Rubin family, the company flourished, changed its name to Tootsie Roll Industries (1966), and now produces up to 64 million candy bars daily.
The Tootsie Roll logo features a wrapper with white and red stripes at the ends, echoing the Austrian flag (the confectioner’s homeland). In the center is the brown Tootsie Roll candy bar with the white name on it. The emblem instantly evokes the image of a long, appetizing stick that one wants to try.
Godiva
The company began as a joint venture between a father and his five children. They opened a chocolate shop in the central square of Brussels in 1926. However, business was not going very well. If it weren’t for the name change, no one would have known about the Draps family’s sweets.
To attract attention, the chocolatiers turned to the famous legend of Lord Leofric’s wife. In an unprecedented act for the year 1040 and all subsequent years, the woman rode naked through the entire city to reduce the tax burden on the poor in her district. This was the condition the lord set, hoping his wife would never dare to do such a thing. However, Godiva took the risk, and the lord had to cancel all levies. The city of Coventry became a tax-free zone.
Using the legend and placing the image of the lady and the horse on the logo increased the sales of Draps’ products several times over.
Having achieved wealth and spread chocolate across Europe and America, the family sold the business to Campbell Soup Company in 1966. Today, Godiva has two owners: Turkish Yıldız and South Korean MBK. Sales are made in 100 countries. The company owns hundreds of specialized stores and cafes.
The emblem Godiva still features the image of the lady and her name, made with brown chocolate lines. The company offers candy bars like Milk Chocolate Caramel Bar (caramel in milk chocolate) and Mint Dark Chocolate Bar (mint filling in dark chocolate).
Ferrero
Raffaello, Nutella, Tic Tac, Kinder Surprise, Ferrero Rocher – all these world-famous and beloved sweets are the work of the company founded by Italian Pietro Ferrero in 1946. Since the establishment of the first confectionery business, it has grown to 50 countries and 12 billion euros in revenue but still belongs to the Ferrero family. The founder’s grandson, Giovanni, currently runs the company.
The first product that brought popularity to the Italian house was Nutella paste, which accidentally originated from a melted Gianduja candy. Later came Mon Chéri (1956), Kinder products (1968), and mint candies (1969). Each new recipe became a masterpiece and brought multimillion-dollar profits.
The company’s emblem appears to be carved from a solid chocolate bar. Its unique font with serifs resembles a newspaper font. It hints at the Italian origin and the company’s ability to make news out of each new recipe.
Kinder Chocolate
Michele Ferrero, son of the founder, developed special chocolate bars with a high milk content, allowing parents to control the portion of sweetness their children consume while being confident in the product’s benefits. It was said that Michele did not like milk, so he came up with a way to “hide” it in the chocolate composition. Each bar contains up to 40% milk. Later, in 1978, a version of the bars with a hazelnut cream filling, Kinder Bueno, was introduced.
The logo combines the brand name in red and black tones with a delicate blue inscription “chocolate,” executed in a childlike manner. This corresponds to the addition on the blue background: “milk + cocoa.” The message emphasizes the safe composition of the product. The first letter in black resembles a piece of chocolate peeking out from the packaging. The image demonstrates how to eat the bars without getting one’s hands dirty.
Lindt
Swiss confectioner Rudolf Lindt opened his factory in 1879. He was an inventor and figured out how to improve the quality and taste of chocolate through conching. Twenty years later, when he decided to retire, he sold the business to Johann Rudolf, a third-generation confectioner from the firm David Sprüngli & Son, which had introduced the world to the first solid chocolate bars.
The young owner named the new enterprise Lindt & Sprüngli and successfully grew it into a large company by acquiring less successful firms.
Today, Lindt owns 12 factories, a museum, and 400 chocolate stores. Its most famous products are Lindor truffles, Excellence bars, and Petits Desserts.
The company’s logo presents the firm as a living person – a master chocolatier. A large message about this and the year the confectionery was established is indicated at the bottom of the emblem. The cursive name above represents chocolate as melted gold, a precious substance that has changed humanity. To the right of the inscription, a composition of two heraldic elements guards the message: a knight’s head and a dragon. They pay tribute to the two founding families’ names. It is believed that a dragon was depicted on the Lindt family’s coat of arms; therefore, the knight is likely an element from the Sprüngli symbolism.
Ghirardelli
America became the third country where Italian Domenico Ghirardelli did business. Initially, he went closer to the places where cocoa grew: Uruguay and Peru. But his real fortune awaited him in America, where gold prospectors from all over the world gathered in 1849. There, the chocolatier registered his firm and opened the first confectionery factory. Business went well, allowing the company to expand.
However, the confectioner’s dynasty ended with his sons. In 1963, the company was sold and systematically changed owners until it ended up in the hands of Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG. This Swiss firm brought its products to an international level.
From the assortment of bars, the Bulk Chocolate varieties are very popular. These feature various fillings surrounded by a square chocolate base.
The company’s logo transports the viewer to the times of the gold rush when Ghirardelli was born. The symbol of eagle is a token of gratitude to the country that welcomed and enriched the immigrant. The emblem pays tribute to the city of San Francisco, where the firm was registered. But what attracts attention the most is the name of the first owner, without whose resourcefulness and persistence Ghirardelli chocolate would not have gained such popularity. The gold and blue shades in the logo signify a combination of dreams and wealth, hard work,
Milka
The Suchard family had been passionate about confectionery since the beginning of the 19th century. After a small confectionery shop (1825), the large company Chocolat Suchard was born, in which the founder’s son-in-law developed the Milka brand (1901) and its purple packaging. Over the years, the assortment and volume of production expanded.
Since 1990, the brand has belonged to Mondelēz International, which sells Oreo bars (cookie and biscuit pieces in chocolate) in America as a Milka brand product.
The brand name is composite. It is formed from the first syllables of the main ingredients: Mil – from milk and ka – from cocoa. The emphasis in the logo and advertising was on the tenderness that the chocolate gets from the milk of special Simmental cows grazing in the Alps. The purple color was an attempt to stand out from competitors. The inscription on the latest emblem seems to emerge from the milk spilled on it. The shade of the letters is very delicate and airy. The upward lift of the inscription hints at mountain peaks.
