Packages of M&M’s milk chocolate candy are stacked at a Costco Wholesale store in San Diego, California, on July 12, 2025.
Kevin Carter | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Candy maker Mars said Wednesday it has partnered with biotech company Pairwise to hurry up the event of more resilient cocoa using CRISPR-based gene editing technology.
The agreement gives the M&M’s maker access to Pairwise’s Fulcrum platform, which incorporates a library of plant traits, and offers Mars the power to tailor its crops to be stronger and more sustainable.
CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that makes fast and precise changes to DNA. In farming, it’s used to enhance crops by targeting different traits similar to drought and disease resistance.
The goal is to create cacao plants — the source of cacao beans, that are then roasted and made into cocoa — that may higher withstand disease, heat and other climate-related stresses that may put global chocolate supply in danger.
In October, Starbucks invested in two innovation farms in Central America to guard the chain’s coffee supply from global warming. The farms develop climate-resilient coffee and test technologies similar to drones and mechanization.
Gene editing allows for faster and more precise trait development than traditional breeding, Pairwise said in a press release.
CRISPR has garnered attention in recent times for its applications in health care. In late 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the primary gene-editing treatment for sickle cell disease.
“At Mars, we consider CRISPR has the potential to enhance crops in ways in which support and strengthen global supply chains,” said Carl Jones, Plant Sciences Director at Mars, in the discharge.
Last month, the candy giant announced a $2 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing through 2026. This features a recent $240 million investment for a Nature’s Bakery facility in Utah.
