As Americans deal with one troubling headline after another this year, they're returning to sweets for comfort, Anton Vincent, president of Mars Wrigley North America, told Cheddar.
During ordinary times, or extraordinary ones like the pandemic, enjoying confections is about "creating moments and having a treat to sort of round out your life experiences," he said.
While in-store purchases have taken an obvious hit amid the coronavirus pandemic, Vincent said Mars Wrigley has seen "tremendous growth" in the sale of its products online.
"We were seeing some particular strength in our chocolate business, especially some of our larger sizes as well, as people are sort of cementing themselves at home," he added.
For Mars Wrigley, keeping consumers interested and understanding that people "still want innovation" in their products is key to its longstanding success.
"We developed some technology several years ago that allowed us to have what we call soft centers in certain parts of our candy," he said. "Our M&M fudge brownie is rocking the category from that perspective."
Perhaps even more essential to the success of Mars Wrigley, according to Vincent, is its commitment to effective leadership as the nation grapples with racial and social issues.
"I think it's forced us, as well as other corporate leaders, to make sure we look at our own house to make sure we are creating a fair and equitable environment," Vincent said. "It's gotten all of our attention in terms of how do we put our words into more consistent action; so, I'm proud of that."
