That satisfying pop when you open a Pringles can. The perfectly curved, stackable chips that somehow never break in transit.
The mustachioed mascot grinning at you from the tube. Pringles is one of the most recognizable snack brands on Earth — sold in over 140 countries and beloved by generations of chip lovers worldwide.
But behind that iconic can is an ownership story involving a chemist who was buried in one, a $2.695 billion sale that made headlines, and a $35.9 billion mega-deal that just closed in December 2025 — making Pringles part of the same family as Snickers, M&Ms, and Twix.
Who Owns Pringles Right Now in 2026?
Pringles is currently owned by Mars, Incorporated — the American privately held global food and confectionery giant headquartered in McLean, Virginia. Mars completed its acquisition of Kellanova — the company that previously owned Pringles — on December 11, 2025, in a deal worth $35.9 billion. It was the largest acquisition in the packaged consumer goods industry since the Kraft-Heinz merger in 2015.
Pringles now operates under Mars Snacking, the snacking division of Mars, Incorporated, alongside billion-dollar brands like Snickers, M&Ms, Twix, Dove, Skittles, Extra, and KIND. Kellanova continues to exist as a subsidiary of Mars, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, managing the operational production and distribution of Pringles globally.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake / Position | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars, Incorporated | Ultimate Parent & Current Owner | 100% ownership of Pringles | Private family-owned company; deal closed December 11, 2025 |
| Mars Snacking | Operating Division | Direct Pringles business unit | Combines Kellanova brands with existing Mars snacking portfolio |
| Kellanova | Subsidiary of Mars | Operational company managing Pringles | Formerly known as Kellogg’s; now a Mars subsidiary since Dec 2025 |
| Mars Family (Forrest Jr., John, Jacqueline) | Owners of Mars Inc. | ~100% private family ownership | Mars is one of the largest privately held companies in the world |
| Procter & Gamble (P&G) | Original Creator (Historical) | Sold in 2012 | Invented Pringles in 1968; owned for 44 years |
| Kellogg’s / Kellanova | Previous Owner (Historical) | Exited December 2025 | Bought Pringles from P&G in 2012 for $2.695 billion |
The Origin Story: A Chemist, a Can, and a Phone Book
The story of Pringles begins not in a snack factory, but in a Procter & Gamble laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1956.
P&G tasked organic chemist Fredric J. Baur — a man with a PhD in organic chemistry — to solve a problem that had plagued potato chip lovers for decades: chips broke in transit, went stale quickly, were greasy, and took up enormous amounts of packaging space. Baur’s solution was revolutionary. He engineered a chip made from dehydrated potato dough pressed into a perfect saddle shape — a hyperbolic paraboloid — that allowed chips to stack uniformly inside a cylindrical vacuum-sealed tube. The shape meant no breakage. The can meant no staleness. It was a genuinely original invention.
Procter & Gamble launched Pringles to the market in test regions of Indiana in 1968, marketing them as “Pringle’s Newfangled Potato Chips.” The name “Pringles” was reportedly chosen from a Cincinnati phone book, where Baur found the name “Pringle” on a list of streets and added an “s” to make it more distinctive. Fredric Baur was so proud of his invention that when he died in 2008 at age 89, his family buried part of his ashes inside a Pringles can — in the Original flavor, of course.
The P&G Years: 1968 to 2012
Procter & Gamble owned Pringles for 44 years — from its launch in 1968 to its sale in 2012. During that time, the brand grew from a regional American novelty into a global snack powerhouse sold in over 140 countries. P&G expanded the product line from the original single flavor into dozens of varieties, introduced Pringles to international markets, and built the brand into one of the most recognized snack names on Earth.
By 2011, Pringles had a 2.2% global market share in snacks — the fourth most popular snack brand worldwide, behind only Lay’s, Doritos, and Cheetos. But P&G had been looking to exit the snack business to focus on its core household and personal care products.
In April 2011, it agreed to sell Pringles to Diamond Foods of California for $2.35 billion. That deal collapsed in February 2012 due to accounting issues at Diamond. A new buyer quickly stepped in.
Kellogg’s Buys Pringles for $2.695 Billion
On May 31, 2012, Kellogg’s officially acquired Pringles for $2.695 billion — picking up one of the world’s most iconic snack brands from a P&G that was eager to sell.
The acquisition made Kellogg’s the second-largest snack company in the world overnight. It was a perfect strategic fit — Kellogg’s had strong global distribution networks, and Pringles had the brand power and international recognition to leverage them fully.
For a decade, Kellogg’s grew Pringles aggressively, expanding flavors, entering new markets, and building the brand’s digital presence.
Then came a major structural change. In October 2023, Kellogg Company officially split into two separate entities: WK Kellogg Co, which managed the North American breakfast cereal business, and Kellanova, which took all the snacking brands — including Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It, Rice Krispies Treats, and RXBAR. Pringles moved to Kellanova as one of its flagship billion-dollar brands.
The Mars Deal: The Biggest Packaged Goods Acquisition Since 2015
On August 14, 2024, Mars, Incorporated announced it would acquire Kellanova — and with it, Pringles — in a deal worth $35.9 billion, paying $83.50 per share in cash. Analysts immediately called it the largest consumer packaged goods transaction since the Kraft-Heinz merger in 2015.
Mars made its strategic intent crystal clear. The acquisition brought Kellanova’s portfolio of billion-dollar brands — Pringles, Cheez-It, Kellogg’s international — into the same house as Mars Snacking’s existing lineup of Snickers, M&Ms, Twix, Dove, and Skittles. The combined entity now operates with more than 50,000 snacking associates and partners worldwide.
Andrew Clarke, Global President of Mars Snacking, said at the closing on December 11, 2025: “United by more than a century of pioneering new categories and building iconic brands, Mars and Kellanova are joining forces to shape the future of snacking.”
Who Is Mars, Incorporated?
Understanding who owns Pringles in 2026 means understanding Mars — and Mars is one of the most extraordinary companies in American business history.
Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned company — one of the largest in the entire world. It is owned and controlled by the Mars family — descendants of founder Frank C. Mars, who started making candy in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen in 1911.
The company is not publicly traded and never has been. Its revenues are not publicly disclosed in full, but estimates place Mars’ annual revenue at over $50 billion. The company also owns the world’s largest pet care business — Pedigree, Whiskas, Royal Canin, and Nutro — making it a truly extraordinary privately held empire.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Pringles in 2026?
Pringles is owned by Mars, Incorporated after the company completed its $35.9 billion acquisition of Kellanova on December 11, 2025.
Q2. Did Kellogg’s own Pringles?
Yes. Kellogg’s bought Pringles from Procter & Gamble for $2.695 billion in May 2012 and owned it until December 2025, when Mars completed the Kellanova acquisition.
Q3. Who invented Pringles?
Pringles was invented by chemist Fredric J. Baur at Procter & Gamble in 1956–1968, with the chips officially launched to the public in 1968.
Q4. How much did Mars pay for Pringles?
Mars paid $35.9 billion to acquire Kellanova — the parent company of Pringles — making it the largest CPG deal since the Kraft-Heinz merger in 2015.
Q5. Is Mars a public company?
No. Mars, Incorporated is one of the largest privately held companies in the world, owned entirely by the Mars family and never publicly listed on any stock exchange.
Q6. What other brands does Mars own alongside Pringles?
Mars owns Snickers, M&Ms, Twix, Dove, Skittles, Extra, KIND, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It, RXBAR, and major pet care brands like Pedigree and Royal Canin.
Q7. Why was Pringles inventor Fredric Baur buried in a Pringles can?
Fredric Baur was so proud of designing the iconic Pringles cylindrical can that he requested his ashes be buried in one — and his family honored his wish when he died in May 2008 at age 89.
Q8. How many countries is Pringles sold in?
Pringles is sold in over 140 countries worldwide, making it one of the most globally distributed snack brands in history.
Pringles is owned by Mars, Incorporated — a private, family-owned American food and confectionery giant. Mars completed its $35.9 billion acquisition of Kellanova on December 11, 2025, bringing Pringles under the same roof as Snickers, M&Ms, and Twix.
Before Mars, Pringles was owned by Kellogg’s/Kellanova from 2012 to 2025, and before that by Procter & Gamble from 1968 to 2012 — the company that invented it in the first place.
Pringles was created by chemist Fredric J. Baur, who was so proud of his invention that he was buried in a Pringles can when he died in 2008. That is the kind of legacy that belongs to truly iconic brands — and Pringles is one of them.