Mars Incorporated, the global confectionary, snacking, food, pet food, and veterinary care company, recently reached an agreement with healthy snack bar company Kind North America to acquire the brand.
 
Kind North America will join Kind International to create one brand spanning 35 countries, and will function as a distinct business from other Mars companies, according to the announcement. Kind founder and executive chairman Daniel Lubetzky will play a key role in the future development and expansion of Kind, at which he will help to maximize the brand’s reach while upholding the “Kind Promise,” a set of nutrition principles that have guided the company since its founding.  He will retain an ongoing financial stake in the brand, a majority of which was previously donated to charity.
 
Over the past three years, since the launch of a strategic partnership between the two companies in which Mars previously held a minority stake in Kind, the brand’s products were taken into new geographies and categories, while maintaining nutrient-dense food as the primary component of all Kind products. Kind has expanded into more than 35 countries, including China, Germany, and France, and into eight total categories, including frozen and refrigerated foods. Recent product launches include Kind Bark, Kind Frozen Bars, and Kind Smoothie Bowls.
 
“When we began this partnership, I said it was one built on mutual admiration and a shared vision for growth,” Grant F. Reid, CEO of Mars, said. “After three years, you can see the impact, as together we have grown the healthy snacking category and brought Kind and the Kind Promise to 35 countries and into new categories. We’re delighted to continue to build on this success and welcome Kind North American into the Mars family of companies.”
 
“I am so proud of how well the Mars and Kind teams have complemented and strengthened each other over the past three years,” Lubetzky said. “We are now well positioned to further advance our efforts and continue building a foremost health and wellness platform. As we said in 2017, Mars is a company that shares Kind’s passion for business as a force for good, and I am confident that together, we will be able to make our small contribution to this world a little kinder.”