Fannie May Chocolates has had a long and somewhat tumultuous history, more indicative of the times than its wonderfully rich brand of chocolates. Nearly a hundred years ago, H. Teller Archibald opened his now-famous chocolate shop in Chicago, Illinois with the intent of selling quality chocolate to the neighborhood. Over the next two and a half decades, Archibald’s dream grew to nearly 50 such stores, conveniently spread across the United States. Fannie May was famous for her gourmet chocolates and her strong sense of commitment to excellence, a sense that would soon lead to a temporary downfall.

With the advent of World War II, many companies, not just chocolatiers, experienced unprecedented shortages of the supplies they used to make their own specialty brands of chocolate, so they temporarily switched their recipes to ingredients that were readily available. Archibald’s company refused to do this and paid the price by having to close its many retail stores long before that, when the original ingredients ran out. They simply refused to compromise on quality, even for profit. Sadly, the world doesn’t often reward idealism, and Fannie May floundered for a while.

Unsurprisingly, for a confectionery company with a loyal customer base, Fannie May returned to the scene in full force after the end of the war. An energetic chocolate-making campaign rose with the return of its ingredients, and Fannie May introduced new chocolates that quickly became American favorites. The windfall enabled them to purchase a competitor company (Fanny Farmer, no relation) in the early 1990s and expand their operation.

Unsurprisingly, chocolate gifts are some of the best gifts you can buy for your partner on Valentine’s Day. Men have been buying them for their beloved women for centuries, and there’s little reason why that should change. Although it appears that Fannie May chocolates have more or less dropped out of the running, there are still other viable gift baskets.

Although Fannie May performed admirably for the half century after World War II, its parent company, the Archibald Candy Corporation, did not do so well overall and chose to resign. This also had the inevitable effect of bankrupting Fannie May; though they would not be long without a capable suitor. Alpine Confections Corporation realized the usefulness of Fannie May’s history, profitability, and customer base and purchased the company shortly thereafter, moving its base of operations to Ohio in the process, in 2004. However, this it would not be his final home. .

Fannie May was always going to be worth something; particularly with the praise regarding its special Mint Meltaways, and two years after moving to Ohio, the national conglomerate 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. bought it for almost $100 million, keeping the manufacture of its candy brands. in Ohio, while allowing the headquarters to remain in his birthplace, Chicago Illinois. She has expanded her repertoire beyond chocolates and sweets, and now delights her growing fan base with gift baskets, gourmet foods in addition to chocolate (and, of course, as well like chocolate), and exceptionally delicious trademark chocolate combinations.