Food giant Mars, Inc. last week formed a new business unit to develop and market nutritional foods to complement its chocolate and snacks portfolio.
The division, Mars Nutrition for Health & Well-Being, has launched its first product online: CocoaVia, a chocolate-based snack with vitamins and minerals that’s positioned as heart-healthy. Future products are expected to target specific health states, too. Mars will mine its expertise in processing chocolate to retain heart-healthy flavanols; the company patented its “Cocoapro” process that keeps flavanols intact.
“We will bring great taste to products that are designed to provide real health benefits supported by sound nutrition science,” said division President Michael Mars in a statement.
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| Mars launches its nutritional division with a heart- healthy chocolate bar, CocoaVia |
CocoaVia’s four flavors (Chocolate Crunch, Chocolate Almond Crunch, Chocolate Blueberry Crunch and Chocolate Cherry Crunch) sell in batches of 30 for $1 each (plus shipping). The brand’s dedicated Web site, CocoaVia.com, offers two talking pedometers to consumers who register for automatic shipments. The site gives lifestyle tips and identifies Mars as “the maker of Dove chocolates” to reinforce CocoaVia’s upscale positioning.
Hackettstown, NJ-based Mars already has a diverse product portfolio, with snacks, pet food beverages and entrees. The new division plays to its core chocolate business, but could expand into other segments.
“There’s more to Mars than most people think,” said President-North America Bob Gamgort in a statement. “We place a high value on sound scientific research and are fulfilling a decades-long plan to which we have devoted significant investment with regard to exploring the healthy aspects of cocoa. This plan starts to roll out now with the expansion of our portfolio to meet consumers’ need for health and nutrition.”
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