See’s Candies

Founded in Los Angeles over 100 years ago, See’s Candies has become an iconic brand of chocolates: As of 2020, it was producing 26 million pounds of candy annually in factories spread across Northern and Southern California, including its famous chocolate bonbons and peanut brittle, which are made in LA – in some cases fully by hand, in others by traditional manufacturing machines.

Though virtual factory tours were recorded prior to the pandemic, and private tours were previously available to the press, See’s – now headquartered in South San Francisco – appears to have permanently shut down outside access to its candy-making facilities. As a result, the factory-adjacent See’s store in Los Angeles isn’t quite as special as it could be, but the company is perfectly happy to sell you candy there… and let you sample items upon request.

If you decide to visit See’s, we recommend the Silver Box, our long-time favorite thanks to the chocolates’ fruit-free fillings – caramels, ganache, nuts, brown sugar, and coconut. By comparison, See’s Gold Box is for people who like squishy and fruity chocolates. Our advice is to find them (and virtually everything else See’s sells) in their many retail shops across Orange County, and save yourself the drive to LA.