Candy Giant Mars Partners With Biotech Firm to Gene-Edit Cocoa Supply
August 06, 2025 | Source: CNBC | by Krysta Escobar
Candy maker Mars said Wednesday it has partnered with biotech company Pairwise to speed up the development 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 includes a library of plant traits, and gives Mars the ability 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 improve crops by targeting different traits such as drought and disease resistance.
The goal is to create cacao plants — the source of cacao beans, which are then roasted and made into cocoa — that can better withstand disease, heat and other climate-related stresses that can put global chocolate supply at risk.