Originally published January 20, 2009 at 12:00 AM | Page modified January 20, 2009 at 12:07 PM
PrintFran's Chocolates scrambles to meet salted-caramel demand as fan Barack Obama is inaugurated
Barack Obama's love of salted caramels from Fran's Chocolates has the East Pike Street chocolatier racing to fill orders. Salted-caramel production is up 50 percent this month.
Seattle Times business reporter
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COURTNEY BLETHEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Seattle-based Fran's Chocolates can't make enough salted caramels now that word is out that the incoming president loves them. These are the smoked-sea-salt caramels in milk chocolate that win Barack Obama's vote.
COURTNEY BLETHEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Thuy Pham, left, and Suu Nguyen make the gray-sea-salt caramels in dark chocolate at the East Pike Street facility. Fran's is struggling to keep up with growing demand for the candy.
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Last spring, Fran Bigelow learned through a newspaper article that Barack Obama loves her salted caramels.
More news outlets picked it up, sending demand so high that Fran's Chocolates on East Pike Street has scaled back production of pre-Valentine's truffles and chocolate hearts to make room for more caramels.
This month, salted-caramel production is up 50 percent to more than 18,000 pieces a day.
"It's impossible to determine how much is due to the Obama connection and the inauguration," Bigelow said. Whatever the reason, she has yet to catch up with demand.
One customer sent the caramels to the White House, although Bigelow is not sure the candies got through security, and batches have been ordered for inauguration parties in Washington, D.C.
Dominique Evans, whose company Create the Vision Source is organizing the Shades of Blue Inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C., ordered 800 pieces each of Barack and Michelle Obama's favorites — milk-chocolate-covered caramels with smoked salt and dark-chocolate-covered caramels with gray salt, respectively.
Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
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