Food Chronicles

See’s Candies & Chocolates – The Best Souvenir from California

All About See’s Candies, the chocolates, and more.

There is something about the gift of candies and chocolates that can bring a smile and happiness to both the giver and receiver. For a meaningful and quality gift, look no further than See’s Candies. Here is a history of the company and their most popular products:

 

Origins of See’s Candies

See’s Candies has been a part of American food history for close to 100 years. It all started when Charles See, a Canadian chocolate salesman, moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Mary See, and opened the first See’s location in Los Angeles in 1921.

The black and white tiled storefront was designed to look like Mary’s own kitchen as many of the candies were made by Mary herself. In fact, today her original recipes are still used for the popular Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Walnut Fudge, Victoria Toffee, Hand-dipped Bon Bons, and Maple Walnut Creams.

You can find See’s Candies stores and kiosks all over the US and especially the west coast around the San Francisco Bay Area (where headquarters reside) and Los Angeles. For those overseas, there are also international locations including Hong Kong (where the first location in 1976 is still open), the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.

If you can’t make it to the stores (but you should really try because they offer every visitor a free sample), you can also purchase boxes at the airport which makes for the best travel gift and souvenir.

Tip: for the best prices, go to Costco to purchase the coupons/gift cards. Currently, you pay on $38.99 USD for a $50 gift card value.

Fun fact: A year after first tasting See’s, Warren Buffet bought the company in 1972 and See’s still remains one of his favorite investments.

 

See’s Candies & Chocolates

See’s Candies offers just that: candies like chocolate, brittle and toffee, and lollypops. To stay relevant all year, the company offers seasonal and holiday treats and gift boxes for occasions such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and more. You can even buy special packaging for birthday gifts.

See’s Candies proudly emphasizes that their products are all made from fresh ingredients no added preservatives compared to other popular brands like Godiva. Because of that, you can truly taste the difference in its freshness. You can also taste the high-quality of the chocolates made with Guittard Chocolate and the nuts from the Mariani Nut Company.

Best sellers include the Bordeaux (chocolate willed with brown sugar buttercream), Toffee-ettes (buttery toffee with roasted almonds and creamy milk chocolate), and Peanut Brittle.

Nuts and Chews, Assorted Chocolates, and Build Your Own Boxes also make great gifts. Note that a one-pound box holds up to 26 pieces.

If you cannot make it to one of their stores, kiosks, or the airport, you can buy boxes of chocolates and lollypops on Amazon.

 
 
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. With no additional cost to you, your purchases earn me a commission if you click on the links via my website – Thank you!


Sign up for my newsletter on the sidebar for blog updates and my travel insider tips! And, check out my vlogs on YouTube!

Angela

Share
Published by
Angela

Recent Posts

Pita History: Origins of the World’s Oldest Bread

A Brief Bread History. Pita is one of the world’s most popular breads with a…

16 hours ago

Garlic Bread History – From Ancient Rome to the Americas

From Olive Oil & Garlic to Garlic Butter. Garlic Bread is a favorite in any…

3 days ago

Champorado History: Origins of the Chocolate Rice Pudding

All About the Filipino Champorado. Champorado is the famous Filipino breakfast dish that’s a favorite…

1 week ago

Tavern-Style Pizza History

All About the Bar Pizza. Beer in one hand, pizza in the other. The perfect…

1 week ago

Tapas History: A Timeline of All the Theories

Originally posted October 20, 2022 Reposted May 3, 2022 Tapas Time(line) and More Theories. Tapas…

2 weeks ago

Sundae History

From the Ice Cream Float to the Sundae. Before the sundae was created, ice cream…

2 weeks ago