Warren Buffett has called it one of the best businesses he's ever owned — not a bank, not an insurer, but a family chocolate shop that started in a single Los Angeles storefront in 1921.
A family recipe turned shopfront
See's Candies opened its first shop in Los Angeles in 1921, founded by Charles See along with his wife Florence and his mother, Mary See, whose home recipes formed the backbone of the original range. The company's black-and-white colour scheme and the portrait used in its logo are both direct references to Mary See, and both have stayed essentially unchanged for a century.
The Buffett connection
In 1972, See's was bought for $25 million by Blue Chip Stamps, a company Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger controlled and later folded into Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett has pointed to the See's acquisition repeatedly in his shareholder letters as a turning point in his investing approach, away from buying purely cheap assets and toward paying a fair price for a business with real pricing power and brand loyalty. He has credited the deal with generating well over a billion dollars in profit for Berkshire over the following decades.
What's in the box
- Bordeaux — a chocolate-covered coffee-flavoured butter cream, one of the brand's signature pieces.
- Scotchmallow — caramel and marshmallow dipped in dark chocolate.
- Peanut brittle — a long-running staple sold both boxed and loose by weight.
Still black and white after a century
See's has historically been concentrated on the US West Coast, with shops keeping their 1920s aesthetic largely intact, though international shipping has made the brand increasingly accessible to fans outside the US. It sits comfortably alongside other American classics in our American candy and snacks and chocolate collections.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded See's Candies?
See's Candies was founded in 1921 in Los Angeles by Charles See, together with his wife Florence and his mother Mary See, using recipes Mary had developed over decades. The company's black-and-white shop design and logo are both based on Mary See.
Is See's Candies owned by Warren Buffett?
See's Candies is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's holding company, which bought it in 1972 for $25 million. Buffett has repeatedly credited See's as one of the investments that taught him the value of paying for a strong brand rather than just cheap assets.
What is See's Candies known for?
See's is best known for its boxed chocolate assortments, sold by weight from glass display cases in its stores, with signature pieces including the Bordeaux, a chocolate-covered coffee butter cream, and the Scotchmallow.