Happy Heavenly Birthday Mary See! September 16th! See’s Candy is 100 Years Old. Our Exclusive Interview.
Happy Heavenly Birthday Mary See! September 16th! See’s Candy is 100 Years Old. Our Exclusive Interview.
An Exclusive Interview with Palos Verdes Pulse
Palos Verdes Pulse recently interviewed President and CEO Pat Egan who has been charged with ushering See’s Candy into the next sweet century.
See's is celebrating 100 years this year! What are some of the top things you attribute this success to?
There are two things that we attribute See’s 100 years of success to: our team makes the best candy on planet. And we do that to take care of our dedicated customers. Since 1921, our motto has been Quality Without Compromise. Our candies are made right here in California with the finest and best ingredients and no preservatives added. And of course we wouldn’t be here 100 years later if it weren’t for our customers. They are the reason we are so focused on making the highest quality candy, continue to innovate, and expand to new locations. We love being part of their traditions and seeing multi-generational families come into shops together. I’m always so thrilled to see the customer reaction to our product and the experience of shopping with See’s.
1929 Delivery Motorcycle
What is the history of See’s? When was the company founded, and by whom?
See’s Candies started in 1921 when Mary See and her son Charles A. See, moved to Los Angeles from Canada. Charles always had dreams of owning a chain of chocolate shops using his mother’s recipes. When they opened the first See’s candy shop at 135 Western Avenue North in Los Angeles, everyone loved her recipes. When the Shop first opened, customers immediately began to notice that not only did See’s Candies taste great, but the great service and focus on taking care of the customer and creating a relationship set See’s apart from others. And that’s still how we operate today.
World Fair 1939
Do you still use original recipes?
Yes! We are so proud to be still using some of Mary See’s original recipes, 100 years later: including our Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Walnut Fudge, Victoria Toffee, Hand-Dipped Bon Bons, and Maple Walnut Creams.
San Francisco Factory 1940
What are some of your most popular candies?
There are so many fan favorites at See’s Candies, and many customers have multiple favorites! Classic See’s Candies are:
- Scotchmallow
o A layer of caramel with a layer of honey marshmallow covered in rich, dark chocolate. This piece dates back to the 50s.
- Bordeaux
o Available in Milk and Dark Chocolate the Bordeaux Creamy brown sugar soft center covered in milk chocolate and decorated with chocolate sprinkles.
- Lollypops
o Made with dairy-fresh butter, heavy cream and flavored with real vanilla, Colombian coffee, chocolate and butterscotch - in See's long-lasting, classic square shape. Flavor-rich down to the last lick. See’s also has seasonal flavors around specific holidays!
o On July 18th, 2012, Guinness World Records declared See's chocolate lollypop the World's Largest. The giant confection, weighing over 7,000 pounds, was equal to 145,000 normal See's lollypops!
- Peanut Brittle
o Buttery, crunchy, nutty goodness in every bite. Made with Mary See's original recipe, featuring the highest quality ingredients.
WWII Rationing
Where does See’s produce their candies today? Where are the offices?
We currently make our candies in our kitchens in South San Francisco, where we have been since 1957 and Los Angeles, where we have been since 1947 – some candies we produce at only one facility and others we can make at both.
I Love Lucy Episode 1952
Can you tell me a little bit about the I Love Lucy episode?
In 1952, Lucille Ball (Lucy) and Vivian Vance (Ethel) visited the See's candy kitchen on La Cienega Boulevard to learn all about dipping and packing chocolates. The result was the hilariously popular I Love Lucy "Job Switching" episode! They didn’t actually film in our facility but indeed practiced there – it’s such an iconic episode and we love being part of that history.
Has See's had any other interaction with the movie or TV industries?
Being based in Los Angeles, we have a long history of being a favorite of movie and TV stars and making it on camera as an iconic brand. We have some famous fans like Kim Kardashian who we’ve learned loves the Molasses Chips, Melissa Reese from Guns N’ Roses, and we heard Cher used to work in one of our shops! Then in term of TV, we’ve been featured on Ellen and she toured our factory which was as you can imagine, hilarious, on Mindy Kaling’s show on Netflix “Never Have I Ever”, and also on The Talk with Marie Osmond.
What were the most challenging and difficult times?
During WWII, a challenge that See’s faced was how to keep making quality candies when butter, sugar, and cream were rationed and in extremely short supply. Rather than compromise and accept lesser grade ingredients, See’s management decided to make less candy and reduce the candy available to shops. Each shop received a quota to sell, and when they ran out of candy after a few hours, they closed the shops. During that time, there were so few quality foods available, people were willing to wait in the long lines to buy See's because the company chose to live up to its motto: Quality Without Compromise.
Most recently, last March during the start of the pandemic, See’s shut its doors for the second time in history. We needed to find a new way to create the same delicious candies we always have, but most importantly, also keep our employees safe. With all retail locations closed, and while we worked on solutions and safety, we had thousands of pounds of Easter candies already produced on our hands. Since we don’t add any preservatives to our candy, it is fresh like bread, we had no choice than to give it away to hospitals, frontline workers, and to those who needed a sweet pick-me up. In total, See’s donated thousands of pounds of chocolate and treats to community organizations ahead of Easter Sunday in 2020. We were proud to bring some much-needed sweetness to those working on the front lines during this hard time.
What are some of See’s major successes?
See’s has continued to innovate with the times and was a trailblazer even back in 1928, offering the first motorcycle delivery service in Los Angeles. We have also been delivering candy by mail since 1922, long before E-commerce and home delivery were common. In 1958, See’s made history as the first confectionary business to receive melted chocolate at their factories via tanker truck, a method still used today. Jump to 2021, and there are over 240+ iconic Shops and a fast-growing E-commerce business. It’s important for us to continue to innovate based on our customer needs and make their shopping experience that much better while continuing to bring the joy that comes with selling the best candy on the planet.
How is See's celebrating its Centennial Anniversary?
For the first time ever, See’s asked their customers what their next candy piece should be with the launch of “What’s Your Sweet Idea?”.
Fans were encouraged to submit their ultimate candy creation on sees.com/sweetidea in early January, and See’s dedicated team of R&D experts are now sorting through submissions and will pick the top candies for final voting which will be held on February 15 through March 1. We haven’t decided when we will announce the chosen candy but we are really excited for the outcome!
We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off our Centennial year than by involving See’s great customers. They are the reason we are in business 100 years later, and we are excited to hear their ideas. We will create the best candy suggested by fans as our November piece, which is also the same month that Mary and Charles opened for business in 1921.
In addition, every month throughout the year, we will be launching a new Sweet-of-the Month.
Stay tuned each month for more announcements, new products, and events by following See’s Candies on social and sees.com/centennial.
Who are some key individuals that shaped the company?
Of course, top of that list are our founders—Mary and Charles See. Their vision and dedication to quality candy and great service are still the bedrock of See’s. Without a doubt, our dedicated employees and loyal customers have also made See’s what it is today. Our connection with our customer is unmatched in candy, and among the best in retail. We have store associates in almost every one of our stores that have worked for us for decades. Customers keep going into that Shop, to buy from that specific employee that has been assisting them for years. It’s truly special and a unique bond that I love to witness whenever I go in for a visit. Many of our candy makers, decorators and office employees, have been with us for decades as well. Our decorators are truly artists and watching them perform their craft, doing something that See’s so special, is truly inspiring. They do it because they get joy out of serving the customer—and that joy comes back from the customer. We connect with our customers, and I don’t think any other retail candy shop of our size can make that statement.
President and CEO, Pat Egan, joined See’s Candies in 2018, as President. He became CEO in 2019 when Brad Kinstler retired. With a focus on exceptional customer service, Pat is moving See’s forward while maintaining the company’s legacy of quality.
Pat joined See’s with 12 years of Berkshire Hathaway experience, having served as SVP of Customer Operations at NV Energy and VP of Customer and Community Affairs at Pacific Power. He holds a Juris Doctor from Willamette University and a Bachelor of Science in History from Oregon State University. A lifelong See’s fan, Pat is looking forward to building on our tremendous history and preparing to celebrate the See's Centennial in 2021.