An Unconventional Tale of Two Cities

Seattle and Chicago. Two distinct recipes – one sweet story. Similar yet uniquely different, both Frango® recipes preserve the passion, tradition, and rich heritage of Frango® for generations to come.

For more than a century, Frango® has been melting hearts in America—starting from the time it was first offered as a frozen dessert in the tea room in Seattle’s Frederick & Nelson department store.

Captivated by the taste, candymaker Ray C. Alden devoted himself to creating a chocolate inspired by the frozen confection. His secret recipe included, in part, cocoa beans sourced from the African Coast and South America.

At the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929, Chicago-based Marshall Field & Company purchased Frederick & Nelson and its beloved Frango recipes. Frederick & Nelson chocolatiers were quickly dispatched to the Windy City to teach Marshall Field’s staff how to prepare the iconic Frango Mint.

Marshall Field’s soon began producing a distinctly similar Chicago version of the original recipe in its own soon-to-be-famous candy kitchen.

Frango® Chocolates officially joined the Garrett Brands family in 2017. Both brands share a deep history and tradition of handcrafted excellence, born in a kitchen and innovating ahead of their time. As with Garrett® Popcorn, all Frango recipes remain closely guarded secrets—and each chocolate is lovingly and meticulously crafted.