Netherlands Ambassador Henne Schuwer presenting Holland on the Hill Heineken Award to Victoria Mars on April 21, 2016

On April 21, Victoria B. Mars, Chairman of the Board, Mars, Incorporated accepted the third annual Holland on the Hill Heineken Award in Washington, D.C. Victoria was honored for her work through Mars to further the U.S.-Dutch economic relationship, as well as her commitment to make the cocoa supply chain more sustainable and her promotion of women’s equality and continued focus on empowering female cocoa farmers.

“Being a global business that is built on community, a principled business that focuses on collaboration to address industry solutions, and a mutual respect for our Associates, consumers, customers and suppliers, has made Mars the $33 billion business it is today,” said Victoria. “As a business that wants to be around for generations to come, we must continue to play a role in addressing challenges that we share with society. Because it is the right thing to do, because it is who we are, and because it is the only way to remain viable.”

Mars’ history in the Netherlands stretches back to 1962, when we built our first chocolate factory on the European mainland in the Netherlands. Victoria was personally a part of that history, moving there with her family in the early 1960s while her father oversaw the building and operations of the business there. Today, that factory is the largest Mars Chocolate factory in the world, employing 1,600 Associates across three locations. The Netherlands is also the second largest cocoa processing country in the world, and is home to the world’s largest cocoa port, which makes Mars’ commitment to cocoa sustainability even closer to home in the region.

Mars continues to work to make the cocoa supply chain more sustainable with the ambitious goal of 100 percent usage of certified cocoa in 2020. Mars is committed to strengthening the supply chain as a whole and supporting progress toward a more sustainable cocoa industry.