In 2023, Mars Wrigley Confectionery was the leading chocolate and cocoa manufacturer worldwide, with net sales of 22 billion U.S. dollars. Ferrero Group and Mondelēz rounded out the top three companies, both exceeding ten billion U.S. dollars in net sales.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery
Mars Wrigley is an American-based company started in 1893 with two types of chewing gum, Juicy Fruit and spearmint, that are still in production today. Since its founding, the company expanded to produce chocolates and other confectionery products, rice, and pet foods. Many of the chocolate snacks are well-known internationally, including M&Ms, Snickers, Twix, and Dove chocolates.
Global cocoa production
To accommodate the production of so many chocolate snacks, global production has generally increased since 1980. In 2021/22 an estimated 4.8 million tons of cocoa were produced worldwide, compared to just about 1.7 million tons in 1980/81. As cocoa production has increased, prices have fluctuated over the past 15 years. Prices have ranged from 2.03 to 3.14 U.S. dollars per kilogram over this period.
