Mars Inc., the American food, confectionery and pet-care company, is targeting annual revenue of more than $1.2 billion in India by 2030, aiming to more than double its business from approximately $600 million in 2025. The company sees India as one of its most important future growth markets and wants the country to become one of its five leading rapid-growth markets globally.
The expansion strategy will focus on pet nutrition, packaged snacks, manufacturing and technology capabilities. Mars is also investing in its Hyderabad operations and has partnered with IT services company Genpact to establish a global capability centre (GCC) that will support its worldwide business. The plans reflect the company’s confidence in India’s expanding consumer market and its growing importance within the global operations of multinational food companies.
Mars Targets More Than $1.2 Billion in India Revenue by 2030
Mars generated approximately $600 million in revenue from India in 2025. Its target of exceeding $1.2 billion by 2030 represents more than a doubling of its business over five years.
The company’s global chief financial officer, Claus Aagaard, told Mint that India should become one of Mars’s top five rapid-growth markets. India currently ranks among the company’s top 20 markets globally.
Mars has already established a presence across several consumer categories in India, including confectionery, packaged snacks, pet food and food products. Its portfolio includes brands such as:
- Confectionery: Snickers, M&M’s and Twix
- Pet nutrition: Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba and Royal Canin
- Snacks: Pringles, Cheez-It and other Kellanova brands
- Food and nutrition: Tasty Bite
The company believes that rising household incomes, changing consumption patterns, premiumisation and the expansion of online shopping will create opportunities across these categories.
₹1,500 Crore Investment in Hyderabad Pet Food Facility
Manufacturing expansion is a major part of Mars’s India strategy. The company operates seven factories in India and is investing ₹1,500 crore in its Hyderabad pet-nutrition facility.
The investment is intended to strengthen production capacity and support growing demand for packaged pet food in India and overseas markets.
Mars has also announced two additional investments connected to its Indian operations:
| Investment | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Hyderabad pet-nutrition factory expansion | $55 million | Support domestic growth and exports |
| Royal Canin distribution and packaging centre | $12 million | Improve localisation and supply resilience |
| Hyderabad pet-food facility investment | ₹1,500 crore | Expand manufacturing capabilities |
The investments are part of a broader effort to strengthen local manufacturing and improve the company’s ability to serve Indian consumers.
According to Mars, it has invested in seven local factories since 1995 and employs more than 2,400 people across its snacking, food and nutrition, and pet-nutrition businesses, including its Royal Canin packaging operations.
Pet Care Emerges as a Major Growth Opportunity
Pet nutrition is expected to be one of the most important contributors to Mars’s India expansion.
The company sells products through brands including Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba and Royal Canin. Mars estimates that it holds more than 50% of India’s pet-care market, according to comments reported by The Economic Times.
However, the company believes the category still has significant room to expand.
Aagaard highlighted that seven out of 10 pet parents in India are first-time owners. This indicates that packaged pet food remains a developing category, with consumer awareness and spending patterns continuing to evolve.
Prepared pet food accounts for less than 10% of total pet-food consumption in India, according to Mars’s estimates cited in the report. A large share of pet owners still rely on home-prepared food rather than commercially manufactured products.
This creates an opportunity for companies selling packaged dog and cat food to increase adoption by educating consumers about pet nutrition and introducing products at different price points.
The opportunity is also expanding beyond major metropolitan areas. Mars has identified growing demand in tier-two and tier-three cities as pet ownership spreads and awareness of specialised nutrition increases.
The Indian pet-care market is projected by Euromonitor to exceed ₹11,000 crore by 2031, according to The Economic Times.
Competition Increases in India’s Pet Food Market
Mars is facing growing competition as domestic and international consumer companies enter India’s packaged pet-food market.
Companies including Godrej Consumer Products, Reliance Consumer, Wipro Consumer Care and Nestlé have expanded or explored opportunities in the category.
The entry of larger consumer businesses could increase product availability, advertising and consumer awareness. It may also create greater competition across pricing, distribution and product innovation.
Mars has indicated that it does not intend to compete by simply chasing the lowest price points at the expense of product quality.
The company is also exploring opportunities beyond packaged pet food. In December 2024, it acquired a minority stake in Mumbai-based veterinary clinic chain Crown Veterinary Services.
Mars is taking a gradual approach to expanding its veterinary-services presence, rather than aggressively scaling the business immediately. This gives the company another potential route to participate in India’s broader pet-care ecosystem.
Kellanova Acquisition Strengthens Mars’ Snacking Portfolio
Mars’s India growth ambitions also received a boost from its acquisition of Kellanova, completed in December 2025 for approximately $35.9 billion.
The acquisition brought major international snack and cereal brands into Mars’s portfolio, including Pringles, Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts. It expanded the company’s presence beyond its established confectionery brands such as Snickers, M&M’s and Twix.
The combined portfolio gives Mars access to more product categories and retail distribution channels.
In India, the company sees opportunities to introduce and expand products in salty snacks, breakfast cereals and other convenient food categories.
Pringles is among the brands Mars sees as having potential to grow in the Indian market. Kellanova’s breakfast portfolio could also help the company reach consumers interested in convenient and potentially healthier breakfast options.
Mars is exploring products that respond to changing preferences, including snacks with protein and vitamin-related benefits.
The integration of Kellanova’s operations into Mars is still underway. The company expects its expanded portfolio and distribution network to support growth across markets, including India.
Mars Opens Global Capability Centre in Hyderabad With Genpact
Alongside manufacturing, Mars is investing in technology and business operations through a new global capability centre in Hyderabad.
The company inaugurated the facility on November 12, 2026, in partnership with Genpact. The centre spans approximately 60,000 square feet and is designed to support digital innovation, data analytics, artificial intelligence and business-process management across Mars’s global operations.
The centre will initially open with more than 400 Genpact employees, with ambitions to scale and transition to approximately 1,000 Mars associates in the future.
The partnership builds on an existing relationship between the two companies that began in 2018.
The centre is expected to help Mars improve operational efficiency, analyse consumer behaviour and develop technology capabilities that can be used across international markets.
One potential application involves understanding how consumers discover and purchase products through digital channels, including quick-commerce platforms.
For example, analysing the time between a consumer clicking on a product and completing a purchase could help Mars identify friction in the buying process and improve the online shopping experience.
The Hyderabad facility also reflects India’s growing role as a technology and talent hub for multinational companies.
Tasty Bite Adds Another Growth Opportunity
Mars is also looking beyond traditional snacks and pet food through its food and nutrition business.
Its portfolio includes Tasty Bite, a brand focused on ready-to-cook foods, convenient meals and ingredients for businesses.
Mars acquired the US parent of Tasty Bite in 2017, obtaining a controlling stake in its Indian subsidiary, Tasty Bite Eatables Limited.
The company initially focused on producing Indian food for international markets before expanding into restaurant ingredients and consumer products.
Tasty Bite has recently introduced consumer products in India, targeting shoppers looking for convenient meal options that require less preparation time.
This gives Mars another opportunity to participate in India’s changing food-consumption habits.
The Bigger Picture
Mars’s target of generating more than $1.2 billion in Indian revenue by 2030 reflects a broader strategy to turn India into a major growth market across multiple businesses. Pet nutrition offers opportunities as more households adopt animals and move towards packaged food, while the Kellanova acquisition strengthens the company’s position in snacks and cereals. Manufacturing investments and the Hyderabad technology centre provide additional infrastructure to support this expansion.
However, achieving the target will require sustained growth across several categories. Mars faces increasing competition in pet food, changing consumer preferences in snacks and the challenge of integrating Kellanova’s operations. Its ability to expand distribution, introduce products suited to Indian consumers and maintain manufacturing efficiency will influence how quickly the business grows.
Looking Ahead
Mars is expected to continue investing in manufacturing capacity, technology infrastructure and product development as it works towards its 2030 revenue ambition. The Hyderabad pet-food facility, Royal Canin distribution centre and Genpact partnership will play important roles in supporting its domestic and international operations. The company will also look to expand the reach of its brands through traditional retail, e-commerce and quick-commerce channels.
The coming years will show whether pet-care and the expanded snacking portfolio can deliver the growth Mars expects from India. Its progress towards the $1.2 billion target will depend on consumer adoption, competition, distribution expansion and the successful integration of its newer businesses. For now, the company is positioning India as a strategic market not only for selling products but also for manufacturing, technology and global business operations.
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