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More than 84 years of Fannie May – A success story
H. Teller Archibald opened the first Fannie May shop in 1920 at 11 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago. By 1935, there were nearly four dozen shops in Illinois and several neighboring states. During World War II, while other companies chose to change their recipes when ingredients were scarce, Fannie May stuck with its exact recipes, making only what it could. Often that meant closing shops early because no more candy was available, but never was the taste of the candy compromised.

Through the years, Fannie May developed candies that went on to become ongoing favorites and found themselves at the center of many family and holiday traditions. For instance, Fannie May Pixies were first made in 1946 by hand-pouring caramel over nuts and then placing them on a conveyor belt to be drenched in chocolate. Today, that combination of caramel and crunchy pecans covered in chocolate is one of the company’s best sellers.

In 1970, Fannie May introduced another favorite, the Trinidad, with its rich chocolate center inside a pastel shell coated in coconut. In 1989, Eggnog Creams made their debut for the holidays and two years later the company introduced sugar-free chocolate, which quickly became a favorite among dieters and people with diabetes.

That same commitment to the quality of recipes continues today, with most of the same ingredients coming from the same suppliers for many years now. Quality has always been the driving force behind the making of Fannie May chocolates.

As Fannie May’s former parent company became overburdened by debt from other acquisitions, Alpine Confections Inc. saw tremendous value in the brand, which is loved by so many in Chicago and around the Midwest. It purchased the Fannie May brand, including the recipes, and pledged to bring back the candy and to reopen shops. More than 45 retail shops in three Midwestern states began opening again in October 2004, just in time for holiday traditions to continue uninterrupted.

Fannie May Confections, Inc. is based in Chicago and includes the Fannie May® and Fanny Farmer® brands. Throughout its history, Fannie May has been a family-owned business and continues to be privately held today. From the shops to the kitchens to the corporate offices, Fannie May employees continue to display pride and passion for providing candy of the highest quality.

The Fannie May brand

Fannie May stands for premium quality chocolate. We developed this by combining a delicious product, stimulating advertising, elegant packaging and selective distribution. Fannie May's standards of excellence include maintaining our product's high quality by requiring special handling during storage and display. Our growing popularity as a premium quality product is due to our innovative approaches in manufacturing, advertising and packaging.

Since Fannie May Confections Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alpine Confections Inc, we do not publish a separate financial statement, and do not discuss total sales, advertising costs or financial performance.