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who owns skittles

Skittles is owned by Mars, Incorporated, and today it is produced and marketed under the Mars Wrigley confectionery division.

Who Owns Skittles?

Quick Scoop

If you’re wondering who owns Skittles right now, the simple answer is:

  • Skittles is a brand of the Wrigley Company, which is a division of Mars, Incorporated.
  • Mars, Inc. is a large, privately held global company best known for candies like M&M’s, Snickers, Twix, and more.
  • Skittles, therefore, ultimately belongs to the Mars family–owned Mars, Inc.

So when you buy a pack of Skittles in 2026, you’re buying from Mars Wrigley, under the Mars, Inc. corporate umbrella.

A (Very) Short History Angle

Skittles didn’t start out with the Mars Wrigley branding you see today.

  • The Skittles trademark was filed in the 1970s, and early on it was linked to British operations tied to Mars products.
  • By 1979, Skittles were widely sold in the United States, and production moved to the U.S. a few years later.
  • Over time, internal restructurings within Mars led to Skittles being housed under Wrigley, and later under the merged Mars Wrigley entity.

In other words, the brand has shifted inside the same overall company, but Mars, Inc. has been the ultimate owner for decades.

Who Owns Skittles – Corporate Chain

Here’s the ownership chain in simple form:

html

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Level</th>
    <th>Name</th>
    <th>Role</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Brand</td>
    <td>Skittles</td>
    <td>Fruit-flavored candy brand produced and marketed globally.[web:1][web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Operating division</td>
    <td>Mars Wrigley</td>
    <td>Confectionery division that manages Skittles, M&M’s, Snickers, etc.[web:1][web:6]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Intermediate entity</td>
    <td>Wrigley Company</td>
    <td>Chewing-gum and candy company now integrated into Mars Wrigley.[web:1][web:9]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Parent company</td>
    <td>Mars, Incorporated</td>
    <td>Private global food and petcare company that ultimately owns Skittles.[web:5][web:7]</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Ultimate owners</td>
    <td>Mars family</td>
    <td>Family behind privately held Mars, Incorporated.[web:5]</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Mini Forum-Style Take

“So who owns Skittles, some tiny candy startup?” Not quite. The colorful little candies are part of a massive private corporation. Mars, Inc. prefers a low public profile but sits behind many supermarket-favorite brands, and Skittles is one of its flashiest front-facing products.

From a consumer angle, you mostly see Skittles and the slogan “Taste the Rainbow,” but behind the scenes it’s Mars Wrigley and, above that, Mars, Inc., steering the brand, marketing, and product decisions.

TL;DR

  • Skittles is owned by Mars, Incorporated, via its Mars Wrigley division.
  • Mars, Inc. is a privately held company owned by the Mars family.
  • The brand’s history involves internal shifts (e.g., through Wrigley and then Mars Wrigley), but it has long lived under the Mars corporate umbrella.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.