The first Fannie May retail store was opened by H. Teller Archibald in 1920 at 11 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago. By 1935, there were nearly four dozen retail stores 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 which often meant closing shops early because no more candy was available - never was the taste of the candy compromised.
In 1946, just after World War II, Fannie May created its most well-known candy to date, the Pixie, 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 the 1970s and 1980s Fannie May continued to develop new candy flavors with the introduction of the Trinidad in 1970 and the creation of Eggnog Creams in 1989. In 1991 Fannie May delved into the world of sugar free candy and now offers a number of assortments. This was followed by the introduction of our elegant truffle line in 1992.
After the purchase of Fannie May by Alpine Confections, production of our chocolates moved to North Canton, Ohio based Harry London Candies in October of 2004.
Throughout the years Fannie May has developed candies that often become the center of many family and holiday traditions. Beginning with only a handful of confections, today Fannie May makes over 100 different confections and continues to develop new and innovative flavor profiles for our customers. Quality has always been the driving force behind the making of Fannie May chocolates. 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.