What Is Fannie May and What Does It Sell?
Updated
Fannie May is a Chicago-founded chocolate and gift brand that sells premium chocolates, signature-wrapped boxes, custom assortments, and gift baskets for personal enjoyment or occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and corporate thank-yous. It is a reasonable choice if you want a recognizable American chocolate gift with a heritage story attached; it is not positioned as a budget candy purchase, since the site describes its products as "premium."
What the Brand Is
Fannie May began in 1920, when H. Teller Archibald opened the first shop at 11 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago. According to the company's own history, it started with a handful of recipes and now makes more than 100 different confections, with an emphasis on American flavor profiles. That history is part of the pitch: the brand sells tradition and consistency alongside the chocolate itself.
What It Sells
The product range falls into a few practical categories:
- Signature-wrapped 1 lb boxes — the core gift format, priced at $29.99 each in the site's current listings.
- Named house pieces — including Milk Chocolate Pixies, Trinidads, Mint Meltaways, and vanilla buttercreams in milk or dark chocolate.
- Custom boxes — a 2 lb custom mix listed at $71.99, for buyers who want to choose the assortment.
- Gift baskets and towers — positioned for delivery to a recipient's door.
- Seasonal and occasion collections — for example, a National Chocolate Day sale running October 28–31, and curated recommendations for birthdays and anniversaries.
The site also publishes recipes using its chocolates, such as dark chocolate truffles, deluxe hot chocolate, and mint meltaway mini donuts, which suggests the products are meant to be used at home as well as given away.
Who It Suits
| If you are… | Fannie May fits if… |
|---|---|
| Buying a gift | You want a ready-to-ship box or basket with a known brand name and a Chicago heritage angle |
| Hosting or celebrating | You need something for a birthday, anniversary, wedding, or "just because" delivery |
| Buying for yourself | You want single-origin-style house pieces or a custom mix rather than a supermarket bar |
| Shopping on a tight budget | Probably not the first stop — the site frames its products as premium, and listed boxes start around $29.99 |
Practical Notes Before You Buy
- Check the sale window. The site advertises time-limited savings, such as the National Chocolate Day sale from October 28 to 31. Prices and promotions change, so confirm the current offer at checkout rather than assuming a listed price holds.
- Custom boxes cost more per pound than you might expect. The 2 lb custom mix at $71.99 works out to roughly $36 per pound, above the $29.99 per 1 lb signature boxes. The premium buys choice of assortment, not volume.
- Delivery is part of the product. The site emphasizes sending gifts "delivered to their door," so if timing matters for an occasion, order with shipping time in mind.
- Apple Pay is listed as a payment option. Other payment details are not specified on the page, so have your preferred method ready.
- Store locator available. If you would rather shop in person, the site offers a locator for its chocolate shops.
For a first purchase, a single 1 lb signature box in a flavor you already know you like (Mint Meltaways and Pixies are the most distinctive house names) is the lowest-risk way to judge whether the brand's style suits you before committing to a custom box or a larger gift.