Frango’s Mint Chocolates – A Quick History

If you’ve never had a Frango’s Mint Chocolate, you are truly missing out on one of Chocolate’s finest.

These little individually wrapped Chocolates are rectangular in shape, have a nice firm center and a smooth, minty truffle taste and texture that will have you wanting more.

Lots more!

After eating a few (I’m not telling you how many) of these Chocolate delicacies, I grew curious as to their origin.

As I’m always telling people who ask me questions I don’t know,  I decided to “Google It” to see what I could find.

I found it interesting to learn that Frango mints were created way back in 1918 when they were created by Frederick & Nelson, a Seattle-based department store. Another interesting tidbit is that the Frango was originally the name for a frozen dessert sold at the sophisticated Tea Room at Frederick & Nelson’s department store. But it wasn’t until 1927 when Ray Alden, who ran Frederick’s in-store candy kitchen, developed the Frango mint meltaway Chocolate.

Interesting!  Boy am I glad Ray developed the Frango into what it is today.

Then in 1929, Marshall Field’s bought out Frederick & Nelson, ordering the Chocolatiers to come to Chicago and introduce the Frango to the Marshall Field’s stores in an effort to improve slumping sales during the Great Depression.  It wasn’t long before the Marshall Field Chocolatiers came up with their own Midwestern version of the Frango.  It also was during this time that the packaging for Frango Chocolates changed.  The Midwestern Chocolates were sold in traditional flat candy boxes, with the chocolates set in candy papers, while the Northwest’s packing consisted of individually wrapped Chocolates sold in distinctive hexagon-shaped boxes.

Fast forward a few decades, 2005 to be specific, with Macy’s having bought out the Marshall Field stores.  Then, in the summer of 2009, Macy’s announced Chicago candy maker, Cupid Candies, would start the production of it’s famous Frango Mint Chocolates, as well as their other flavors.

I’m glad to hear Frango Chocolates will be around for a while.

I hope you found this brief history of the Frango Chocolate interesting.  I did.  Sometimes it’s interesting to know the history of something you are visiting, or in this case, EATING.

As always, your comments are welcome!  Thank you for your time!