We are going to talk about M&M's today! And who doesn’t love those? But why are they called M&M's? Why the M and not any other let like a K&K or O&O. So let's start from the beginning then.
Let’s talk about the texture first. If you try to recall or imagine having an M&M's, it’s a candy concept with a hard shell on the outside with chocolate in the middle. In many ways, it’s this hard-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture that makes M&M one of the most celebrated chocolates. This method of candy-making allowed for the chocolates to survive in warm climates without melting.
This concept was developed by Forrest Mars of the Mars confectionery company. Yes, that’s where our other favourite chocolates "Mars" also come from, but that’s a story for another day.
So Mr Forest Mars expected a shortage of chocolate because chocolate was being kept aside to be sent to soldiers around the world during the impending Spanish Civil War and also the second world war. As a result, he reached out to one of his competitors Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey’s Chocolate Factory president William Murrie.
And so Mars and Murrie chalked out a contract, signed it, and so was born M&M. As part of the deal, Murrie received a 20 percent ownership stake in M&M’s. To think of it in hindsight, 20% ownership was a goldmine for Murrie.
But Mr Mars later purchased this stake when the chocolate restrictions were lifted in 1948 after the end of the war. Even today, a full 70 or more years later, M&M’s are a prized brand of the Mars corporation and one of the most popular chocolates in the world!
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