With Valentine’s Day just a couple of days away, I found myself pausing mid-scroll when a familiar image popped up in my Instagram feed: a pink, two-part box of chocolates shaped like a Best Friends necklace. You know the kind. The ones you used to get excited to split with a friend, followed immediately by the very serious decision of who got to wear “Be Fri” and who would sport “St Ends.” Instant nostalgia.
For as long as I can remember, See’s Candies has been part of my family’s holidays, milestones, and quiet little traditions.
Growing up, at nearly every major holiday, my parents exchanged a box of See’s with one another. My dad’s favorites were well known, and my mom almost always hand-picked his box. My mom’s tastes were broader. She loved a good Nuts & Chews assortment. On a few occasions, my dad even brought me along to help him choose her candy, which felt like being trusted with something important. (Plus, I’d get a free sample, too! Score!)
Even when money was tight, it seemed like my parents always found a way to squeeze a box of See’s into the holiday budget. And I was always thrilled when I was offered a piece from their boxes, and later, when I was old enough to receive my own gifts of See’s. (I would often get my favorite Scotchmallow or Bordeaux Bars. Yum!)
Talking with friends recently, it became clear that my family was far from alone. So many people I know associate See’s with Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, graduations, thank-yous, and business gifts. It is comfort candy. Celebration candy. School fundraiser candy, and everyone is always happy to see it candy.
What surprised me, though, was learning this year that See’s Candy is very much a California thing!
While I usually focus on hyper-local Fresno and Clovis-area businesses here on FresYes, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole learning about See’s history and realized how many of us likely assume it is some massive national conglomerate. Yes, you can ship it nationwide and even internationally, but the tradition of See’s being the special-occasion candy is deeply rooted here in California, which made me want to share what I’d learned.
And no, this is not sponsored. I’m just genuinely fascinated — and a little proud to be a California See’s customer.
Unlike what many people assume, the woman whose face appears on every box is not a fictional mascot like Betty Crocker — Mary See was a real person, and by all accounts, a very selective and meticulous one. She made beloved chocolates and candies for her family in her black-and-white checkered tile kitchen in Ontario, Canada using the absolute best ingredients she could possibly find. After her husband passed, her son Charles encouraged her to move with him to sunny Southern California and turn her beloved recipes into a business.
They settled in Pasadena, where Charles opened the first See’s Candy shop in Los Angeles. Inside, he recreated the black-and-white checkered floor from Mary’s kitchen, a design detail that still exists in all See’s shops today.
From there, the company grew steadily. Stores popped up around Los Angeles — even Hollywood celebrities in the 1920s reportedly had their See’s delivered by motorcycle. Over time, shops spread throughout the state. Today, more than 120 of them are located in California alone.
One thing that has remained consistent is how the company operates. See’s stores are not franchised. They are company-owned, and See’s remains privately held. That decision has allowed them to maintain tight control over quality, consistency, and presentation.
Mary See was famously picky about ingredients, and that standard never went away. To this day, the company holds its suppliers to strict requirements, not just for quality, but for ethics. See’s uses cacao from Guittard Chocolate Company, known for ethical sourcing and fair-trade practices. They use eggs from certified humane farms, natural vanilla, and do not use high-fructose corn syrup in their candies. They also have very strict practices for their nut-free candies, to ensure they are safe for those with allergies, and they are manufactured in entirely separate facilities than the products that do contain nuts.
All of this made me look at those familiar black-and-white boxes a little differently.
What I love most is that See’s has managed to grow (exponentially!) without losing its soul. It is still recognizable. Still consistent. Still deeply tied to memory and nostalgic. In a world where so many brands chase scale at any cost (including quality), it’s lovely to know my childhood and family favorite is still just as wonderful as its always been.
For many of us in California, See’s isn’t just candy. It is a shorthand for care and celebrating. It is what you bring and know that everyone will be happy to have. And today, it’s what I bought on my lunch break, because that Best Friends chocolate box was so cute, there were Scotchmallows and Molasses Chips in it, and we all deserve the joy of a high-quality, nostalgic treat every now and again!
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