Fran's Chocolates Explained

Fran's Chocolates
Industry:Chocolate
Founded:1982 in Madison Park, Seattle, Washington, United States
Founder:Fran Bigelow
Hq Location City:Seattle, Washington
Hq Location Country:United States
Locations:7
Products:chocolate truffles, caramels, desserts
Owners:-->
Num Employees:75-85, season depending[1]
Num Employees Year:2018

Fran's Chocolates, or Fran's, is a chocolate company founded by Fran Bigelow and based in Seattle, Washington. The company is best known for their salted chocolate-covered caramels.[2] Fran's Chocolates has locations in the Seattle metropolitan area and throughout Japan.[3]

History

Fran Bigelow was born and raised in Seattle and trained as an accountant. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1965 with a degree in business administration and travelled to France with her husband about five years later. Her husband was a hospital administrator, and his career required them to move to San Francisco.[4] Bigelow enrolled in professional cooking classes at California Culinary Academy, where she apprenticed with a Swiss pastry chef.[5] In 1980, they returned to Seattle, and in 1982 she began selling chocolate truffles and desserts from a small shop in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood.[6] There were two employees at the original shop and the truffles were originally priced at 35 cents each. Eventually, she developed the store's signature Gold Bars because she wanted a candy that was not as perishable as the truffles. The Gold Bars quickly became a customer favorite, and by 1996 she was selling nearly 500,000 Gold Bars a year. In 1986, Bigelow began making caramels.

In 1998, she began adding gray salt to the caramels.[7] [8] [9] By 2006, the caramels made up seventy-five percent of the company's sales, and by 2008 the caramels were the bestseller, partly due to publicity from former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.[7] In 2006, Fran's was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine and the company consequently reached a record $4.5 million sales for the year.[10] [11] By 2007, Fran's had forty employees, and Bigelow's daughter, Andrina, joined the company.[12] In 2008, Fran's opened a location in Downtown Seattle in the Four Seasons hotel.[13] The Downtown location would take over as the flagship store.

In 2014, the company moved its headquarters from the Capitol Hill neighborhood to the historic Rainier Brewing Company building in the Georgetown neighborhood.[14] At the time, the company had 67 employees and was making 30,000 pieces of chocolate per day and shipping regularly across the United States and to Japan. In 2018, she was inducted into the Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame for "sparking the artisan chocolate renaissance in the United States".[15] In 2021, Food & Wine named Fran's one of the top 50 chocolate shops in the United States.[16]

Book

In 2004, Bigelow published a book, Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran’s Chocolates, which she co-authored with Helene Siegel.[17] [18] The book contains chocolate recipes that are not "too difficult" to make.[19] It was nominated for 2005 James Beard Foundation Award in the Baking and Desserts category.[20]

Awards

In popular culture

Fran's was featured in Season 1, Episode 22 of Food Finds, which aired on the Food Network in May 2002.[25] The company was also featured on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Season's Eatings.[26]

Former President Obama and Michelle Obama occasionally had the chocolates shipped to the White House.[21] [27] [28] [29] Bigelow donated to Obama's campaign and was able to meet Michelle Obama.[29] Michelle Obama sent Fran's caramels to Barbara Walters and the cast of The View as a thank you for her recent appearance.[29]

Notes and References

  1. News: Levesque . John . Made in Washington: Fran's Chocolates . 8 May 2021 . Seattle Business Magazine . June 2018 . 8 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210508231633/https://seattlebusinessmag.com/manufacturing/made-washington-frans-chocolates . dead .
  2. News: Chocolate Champions . 8 May 2021 . Food & Wine . March 31, 2015 . 9 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210509203025/https://www.foodandwine.com/news/chocolate-champions . dead .
  3. News: Hasegawa . Aya . February 3, 2021 . A gem only for now, made by a chocolate specialty store . Vogue Japan . 8 May 2021.
  4. News: Fabricant . Florence . Building a Business With Bars of Gold . 8 May 2021 . The New York Times . August 14, 1996.
  5. Web site: Interview with Fran's Chocolates . 8 May 2021 . Ecole Chocolat.
  6. News: Profile: Fran Fare . 8 May 2021 . Seattle Magazine . April 2009.
  7. News: Muhlke . Christine . The Way We Eat: Salt With a Deadly Weapon . 8 May 2021 . The New York Times . October 8, 2006.
  8. News: A Rich Selection . 8 May 2021 . Forbes . December 2, 2006.
  9. News: Slatalla . Michelle . How to Ensure a Sincere Thank You . 8 May 2021 . The New York Times . December 7, 2006.
  10. News: Denn . Rebekah . Seattle's chocolate is golden these days . 8 May 2021 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . February 5, 2008.
  11. News: Harris . Craig . Chocolate lovers nationwide are discovering Fran's, a Seattle favorite . 8 May 2021 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . March 20, 2011.
  12. News: Buxton . Elizabeth . These Mother-Daughter Duos Are Food Industry Power Players . 8 May 2021 . Refinery29 . May 10, 2018.
  13. News: February 8, 2008 . Fran's Chocolates to open in Four Seasons . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . 8 May 2021.
  14. News: Payne . Patti . Fran's Chocolates moves into historic Georgetown building. 8 May 2021. Puget Sound Business Journal. September 22, 2014.
  15. News: 2018 Hall of Fame Recipients . 8 May 2021 . Specialty Food Association.
  16. News: Landsel . David . The Best Chocolate in America. 8 May 2021 . Food & Wine. April 2, 2021.
  17. News: Picks and Pans Review: Dessert . 8 May 2021 . People . November 22, 2004.
  18. News: Heddings . Kate . The Very Best Cookbooks of 2004 . 8 May 2021 . Food & Wine . March 31, 2015 . 10 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210510144700/https://www.foodandwine.com/news/the-very-best-cookbooks-of-2004 . dead .
  19. News: Chou . Hsiao-Ching . A Moment With Confectioner Fran Bigelow. 8 May 2021 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . March 14, 2015.
  20. Web site: Fran Bigelow . James Beard Foundation . 8 May 2021.
  21. News: Severson . Kim . How Caramel Developed a Taste for Salt . 8 May 2021 . New York Times . December 30, 2008.
  22. Web site: sofi awards: outstanding chocolate 2007 . Specialty Food Association . 8 May 2021.
  23. Web site: sofi awards: outstanding hot beverage 2007 . Specialty Food Association . 8 May 2021.
  24. News: 2018 Winners . 8 May 2021 . Good Food Awards.
  25. Web site: Seattle . Food Network . 8 May 2021.
  26. News: Ausley . Christina . Calling all chocoholics: Seattle's 15 best shops for holiday confections . 8 May 2021 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . December 11, 2020.
  27. News: Obama's Likes and Dislikes: Hold the Mayo . 8 May 2021 . New York Times . May 27, 2008.
  28. News: Leson . Nancy . Spencer . Aaron . Obama loves Fran's . 8 May 2021 . Seattle Times . May 27, 2008.
  29. News: Guzman . Monica . How the Obamas fell for Seattle's Fran's Chocolates . 8 May 2021 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . July 18, 2008.

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