Twix is the candy bar with two cookie sticks, caramel, and milk chocolate, and it has been a Halloween favorite for decades. Most people know it comes from the same family as Snickers and M&M’s, but fewer know who actually owns it. The short answer is a private, family-owned company, and its 2025 mega-deal changed the business that Twix now sits inside.
Who Owns Twix in 2026?
Twix is owned by Mars, Incorporated, a private company based in McLean, Virginia. According to Wikipedia’s Mars Inc. page, the company is entirely owned by the Mars family, so no one can buy Mars stock on an exchange.
Inside the company, Twix belongs to Mars Snacking, the division once called Mars Wrigley Confectionery, which is headquartered in Chicago. It is led by Global President Andrew Clarke, while Poul Weihrauch serves as CEO of the whole group.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake in Twix | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars family | Owners of Mars, Incorporated | Ultimate owners (about 100% of Mars) | Descendants of founder Frank Mars; no outside shareholders |
| Mars, Incorporated | Parent company | 100% of the Twix brand | Based in McLean, Virginia; private since its start in 1911 |
| Mars Snacking | Operating division | Makes and sells Twix | Headquartered in Chicago; expected to earn about $36 billion a year after Kellanova |
| Andrew Clarke | Global President, Mars Snacking | Management, no separate stake | Leads the snacking business |
| Poul Weihrauch | CEO of Mars, Incorporated | Management, no separate stake | Runs the full group, including pet care and food |
| Kellanova | Subsidiary since December 2025 | Sister business inside Mars Snacking | Brings Pringles, Cheez-It, and Pop-Tarts |
| Public shareholders | None | 0% | Mars has no stock market listing |
Who Are the Mars Family?
Frank Mars began making candy in 1911, and the business has stayed in the family ever since. His son Forrest Mars Sr. moved to England after disagreeing with his father about expanding abroad, then took control of the family company by 1964 and merged it with his own.
Today the owners are the descendants of Forrest Mars Sr.: Jacqueline Mars, John Mars, and the children of the late Forrest Mars Jr., who died in 2016, according to the Mars family page. Forbes estimated Jacqueline’s fortune at about $38.3 billion in 2023, as her profile notes.
That structure explains why Mars appears near the top of lists of America’s biggest family-owned businesses and its most valuable privately held companies. The family has stayed private for more than a century.
The Origin Story: Twix Starts in Slough
Twix was first made in 1967 at the Mars factory in Slough, England, a fact the BBC even counted among the things Slough gave the world. The name is widely believed to come from “twin sticks,” a nod to the two-bar format.
For years the bar was sold as Raider in much of Europe, and Mars unified the name as Twix in 1991. In the United States, it arrived in the late 1970s (first in 1976, then relaunched in 1979), according to Wikipedia’s Twix page.
In 2012, Mars launched its “Pick a Side” campaign, inventing a rivalry between identical “Left Twix” and “Right Twix” bars. It is still one of the best-known candy ads of the decade.
How Mars Grew Into a Snacking Giant
Mars made its first big leap in 2008 when it bought Wrigley for a reported $23 billion. In 2016, it bought out the stake of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway to take full control of Wrigley, as Forbes reported.
Smaller deals followed, including the KIND snack bar acquisition in 2020 and a $662 million purchase of Hotel Chocolat in 2023. Each one pushed Mars further beyond classic candy bars.
The Kellanova Deal: What Changed for Twix
On August 14, 2024, Mars agreed to buy Kellanova for $83.50 per share in cash, a total of $35.9 billion including debt. Mars said it would pay for the deal with cash on hand and new debt.
The European Commission gave final approval on December 8, 2025, and Mars completed the purchase on December 11, 2025. Kellanova’s stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
Twix now shares a division with brands like Pringles, Cheez-It, and Pop-Tarts. FoodNavigator described the new business as worth roughly $36 billion a year.
The old Kellogg Company had split in 2023 into Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co. The North American Kellogg’s cereal brands went to Ferrero, which closed that deal in September 2025, according to Food Business News.
Is Twix Owned by Hershey, Nestlé, or Cadbury?
No. Hershey, the company behind Reese’s, is a separate public company and Twix’s biggest U.S. rival. Cadbury belongs to Mondelez, and Kit Kat belongs to Nestlé.
Smaller independents such as Tootsie Roll also have no tie to Mars. In the wider food and beverage world, several of Mars’s biggest rivals answer to public shareholders, but Mars answers only to the Mars family.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Twix in 2026?
Mars, Incorporated owns Twix, and the Mars family owns Mars.
Q2. Is Twix owned by Hershey or Nestlé?
No, Twix belongs to Mars, which is separate from both Hershey and Nestlé.
Q3. Who owns Mars, Incorporated?
The Mars family, descendants of founder Frank Mars, owns the company entirely.
Q4. Where was Twix invented?
Twix was first made in 1967 at the Mars factory in Slough, England.
Q5. Why is it called Twix?
The name is widely believed to come from “twin sticks,” a nod to the two-bar format.
Q6. Is Mars publicly traded?
No, Mars is a private company with no stock market listing.
Q7. Did Mars buy Kellanova?
Yes, Mars completed the $35.9 billion acquisition on December 11, 2025.
Q8. Who is the CEO of Mars?
Poul Weihrauch is CEO of Mars, Incorporated.
Twix is owned by Mars, Incorporated, which is owned 100% by the Mars family. The bar began in Slough, England in 1967, reached the United States in the late 1970s, and now sits inside Mars Snacking in Chicago.
The biggest recent change is the $35.9 billion Kellanova purchase, which closed on December 11, 2025. It made Twix a sister brand to Pringles and Cheez-It, but it did not change who owns Twix.
Official website: twix.com
