Mars Inc. will acquire Kind North America, maker of Kind bars, the organizations announced Tuesday.
Kind Founder and Executive Chairman Daniel Lubetzky will play a key role in the future development and expansion of Kind products and will retain an ongoing financial stake in Kind, a majority of which was “previously donated to charity to further his philanthropic efforts to build bridges across lines of divide,” according to the company.
Kind began a partnership with Mars, which has corporate locations in Hackettstown and Newark, three years ago to bring products into new areas and categories. As a result of the partnership, Kind expanded into more than 35 countries, including China, Germany and France, into eight total categories, and has launched new products such as 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,” said Mars CEO Grant Reid. “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 America into the Mars family of companies.”
