For this special episode Tracy Marak, member of the Belle Toffee family, is my guest. She shares the Belle Toffee story and tries her best to distinguish fact or fiction as I tell a mostly-true story about another candy maker, Forrest E. Mars.
Although this story doesn’t fit neatly into the true crime category, Forrest Mars’ road to ownership of Mars, Inc. wasn’t a smooth one and it certainly wasn’t sweet. Today, the Mars, Inc. is one of the largest privately held companies in the world, and Forrest’s descendent are among the world’s richest citizens.
Listen to learn how Forrest Mars achieved his success, but remember that one fiction has been inserted into the story. Will Tracy guess the fiction? Will you? It’s tricky to know if something is Fact or Fiction? Ready to play?
![Image of Forrest Mars, Sr.](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Forrest_Mars_Sr.-300x284.jpg)
![MRE military food kit including M&M's](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/800px-MRE_20071124_2-300x211.png)
![Image of Frank Mars](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/frank-mars-158x300.png)
![Image of Ethel Mars, Frank's second wife](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Minneapolis_Daily_Times_Wed__Dec_26__1945_-146x300.jpg)
![Image of European Smarties chocolate candy-coated discs.](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Smarties_Riesenrolle_mit_1_Euro_Stuck_als_Grosenvergleich-300x187.jpeg)
![Halloween Ad for Mars, Inc. candies](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/The_Bridgeport_Telegram_Fri__Oct_26__1962_-208x300.jpg)
![Image of Uncle Ben's rice ad from 1951](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Uncle_Bens_ad_LHJ_May_1951-123x300.jpeg)
![Image of a candy bar](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mars_bar_bitten-300x203.jpeg)
![Order Belle Toffee from their website and have it delivered to your home!](http://factorfictionpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Belle-Toffee.png)
References
Cadbury, Deborah. (2010) Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World’s Greatest Chocolate Makers. Public Affairs.
Clayman, Andrew. (n. d.) Mars Inc., est. 1911. Made in Chicago Museum. Retrieved from https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/mars-inc/
Kaplan, D & Adamo, M. (2013, February 4). Inside Mars. Fortune. Retrieved from https://awa.auckland.ac.nz/index.php?p=management-international-business&textid=1145
Fortune Editors (2013, March 31). The Sweet, Secret World of Forrest Mars (Fortune, 1967). Retrieved from https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:wxUV82dXMkMJ:https://fortune.com/2013/03/31/the-sweet-secret-world-of-forrest-mars-fortune-1967/+&cd=16&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari
Mars Overview. (n. d.) FirstHand.co. Retrieved April 10 from https://firsthand.co/company-profiles/food-beverage/mars#:~:text=About%20Mars%2C%20Incorporated,largest%20chewing%20gum%20maker%20Wm
McKnight, Marshall. (2002, September 30). A Clandestine Company Creeps Out of its Shell. NJBiz, pp. 10 – 11.
Serena, Katie. (2020, March 17). The History of M&M’s Isn’t As Sweet As You Think It Is. Retreived from https://allthatsinteresting.com/mms-history