Mars Opens New $240M Nature's Bakery Facility in Salt Lake City

• Mars is officially opening its new $240M manufacturing facility for Nature's Bakery in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• The new site will create more than 230 new jobs and unlock the ability to produce more than 1 billion bars each year.
• In addition to the $6B Mars invested in the U.S. in the last five years, Mars announced yesterday a $2B commitment to U.S. manufacturing through 2026

PASADENA, Calif., July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nature's Bakery, beloved for its soft-baked snack bars and part of the Mars, Incorporated family of brands, is celebrating the opening of its new state-of-the-art baking facility today in Salt Lake City, Utah. The $240 million investment marks a significant milestone in the brand's ongoing expansion and commitment to delivering wholesome snacks to families across the U.S. 

The 339,000+ square-foot site gives Nature's Bakery the space to grow, with the ability to produce more than 1 billion bars each year. It also brings more than 230 new jobs to the region, supporting the local community while helping meet the rising demand for Nature's Bakery products from families nationwide. 

"The biggest step we can take to meet our growth goals is making more of the snacks people love, and this new baking facility helps us do exactly that," said Steve Gardiner, CEO of Nature's Bakery. "It gives us the space to grow today and tomorrow, while letting us bake even more efficiently and with even higher quality. Most importantly, it allows us to keep delivering wholesome, feel-good snacks to more families across the country, wherever and whenever they need them." 

Mars acquired Nature's Bakery in March 2021, and since then, the brand is on pace to more than double its size from 2020 to now.

"The snacking category continues to grow in importance in the U.S. and as consumers' tastes and preferences evolve, and at Mars, we're focused on accelerating innovation that will shape the future of snacking," said Blas Maquivar, Global President of Health & Wellness Division. "The Mars local investment in the new Salt Lake City-based Nature's Bakery facility will enable us to expand the reach of our health and wellness brand, strengthening our focus and introducing more consumers to our better-for-you offering."

Strategically located in Salt Lake City's Mountain West neighborhood, the new site helps improve national distribution and reduces delivery distances to retailers. The new bakery facility is LEED Silver-certified and is expected to lower trucking-related CO₂ emissions by an estimated 5,700 tons annually. The facility also features smart automation, including innovative systems for ingredient delivery, mixing, and cooling. These advancements allow Nature's Bakery to not only enhance food safety and consistency but also evolve many manual roles into higher-skilled positions, creating greater opportunities for long-term career development for associates. 

"Manufacturing is one of Utah's key industries — driving job creation, strengthening supply chains and fueling long-term growth," said Jefferson Moss, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. "Nature's Bakery's new facility is exactly the kind of high-impact investment that positions Utah for continued success. We're proud to welcome the company as it expands in Salt Lake City, bringing quality jobs and reinforcing our state's reputation as a top destination for advanced manufacturing."

"Nature's Bakery has brought with them not only economic opportunity but also care for our community—even before a single production line has gone live," said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. "From supporting local schools to showing up at events across the city, they've embraced our residents with generosity and heart. We're proud to welcome them to Salt Lake City."

In the United States, Mars has a presence in 49 states, employs over 70,000 Associates and operates 38 factories in addition to veterinary clinics, labs and 16 global and regional offices.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED 
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As an approximately $55bn family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including Royal Canin^®, PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, CESAR^®, DOVE^®, EXTRA^®, M&M'S^®, SNICKERS^® and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH^® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

ABOUT NATURE'S BAKERY 

Nature's Bakery believes simple, wholesome snacks are the best fuel for active, joyful lives. Founded in 2011, they soft bake the goodness of real, wholesome ingredients like sun-ripened fruit and hearty whole grains into snacks that are plant-based, nut-free, dairy-free, and non-GMO Project Verified. Thoughtfully baked to make better-for-you snacking a deliciously easy choice that appeals to the whole family, Nature's Bakery products include Whole Wheat Fig Bars, Gluten Free Fig Bars, Fig Bar Minis, Oatmeal Crumble Bars, Brownie Bars, and Hearty Bars. Nature's Bakery products are sold nationally at 100,000 stores, including Target, Walmart, and Costco and can also be purchased directly at the Nature's Bakery website and through Amazon. For more information about Nature's Bakery, please visit naturesbakery.com or follow along on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. 

Media Contact: 

Mary Jane McComiskey

[email protected]

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated