Fran's Chocolates: A Family Legacy Built on Chocolate and Gray Salt Caramels

During a recent visit to Seattle, our team had the pleasure of meeting several members of our Cercle V community, chefs and artisans who embody the pursuit of excellence that defines the pastry and chocolate world.

One of those visits brought us to Fran’s Chocolates, a beloved Seattle institution and pioneer of the American artisanal chocolate movement. There we met Andrina Bigelow, CEO of Fran’s Chocolates and daughter of founder Fran Bigelow, who now leads the family business alongside her brother Dylan, the company’s chocolatier.

For more than four decades, Fran’s Chocolates has built a loyal following through elegant craftsmanship, a deep respect for ingredients, and an unwavering dedication to flavor. Today, the company continues to carry that legacy forward: producing handcrafted confections in its Georgetown chocolate factory while welcoming guests into a retail space where they can witness chocolate being made every day. 

A Parisian Inspiration That Sparked a Chocolate Legacy

The story of Fran’s Chocolates begins with a moment of inspiration. In 1969, Fran Bigelow traveled to France with her husband Peter. Walking into a chocolate shop in Paris, she encountered something that would stay with her forever.

“What really struck her was the smell of chocolate, that complex bitterness and the full flavor,” Andrina explains. “At the time in the United States, chocolate was often used just as a vehicle for other flavors. But what she experienced in France was chocolate that was the star.”

When Fran returned to the United States, that experience stayed with her. She enrolled in the California Culinary Academy’s baking and pastry program, refining her craft before eventually opening her first shop in Seattle’s Madison Valley in 1982: Fran’s Patisserie and Chocolate Specialties. The early days focused on cakes and European-inspired chocolate tortes. Lines of customers quickly formed outside the door. And it was those long lines that unintentionally led to the creation of the company’s first chocolate truffle.

“Guests were waiting for their cakes, so my mom started handing out cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles as a treat while they waited,” Andrina recalls. “Then customers started asking if they could buy them.” Those truffles soon became the foundation of the business. 

The Gray Salt Caramel That Changed Chocolate 

If Fran’s Chocolates first became known for its truffles, it was another creation that would eventually redefine the brand, and influence the broader confectionery world. In 1998, Fran introduced what would become the company’s signature confection: the Gray Salt Caramel. The idea began with an unexpected gift. While working as a guest pastry chef on a television show in Napa Valley, Chef Michael Chiarello gave Fran a jar of gray sea salt from the Brittany coast of France and encouraged her to experiment with it. At the time, pairing salt with chocolate or caramel was far from common.

“She initially thought, salt in confections? I don’t know about that,” Andrina says. “But she remembered the fleur de sel caramels from Brittany, where salt was mixed directly into soft butter caramel.”

Fran took inspiration from that tradition but approached it differently. Instead of mixing the salt into the caramel, she coated her soft butter caramel in dark chocolate and sprinkled gray sea salt on top, creating a perfect balance of sweetness, texture, and flavor. But the idea took time to catch on. “At first, customers didn’t even want to try it,” Andrina laughs. “People thought the salt was a mistake. They thought it was supposed to be sugar.” It took nearly four years before the salted caramel concept began to gain traction. Then the culinary world started to notice. Food writers from The New York Times and Gourmet Magazine, including legendary editor Ruth Reichl, began highlighting Fran’s work. Soon after, an unexpected fan helped bring the confection into the national spotlight.

“One of our most famous customers was then-Senator Barack Obama,” Andrina explains. “He loved our smoked salt caramel in milk chocolate and selected it as his favorite confection.” 

After becoming President, Obama famously served Fran’s caramels to guests visiting the Oval Office. From that moment on, salted caramel exploded in popularity, and Fran’s creation became an icon. Today, the company produces nearly four million salted caramels each year.

Crafting Flavor with Valrhona

For Fran’s, chocolate quality has always been essential. The company has partnered with Valrhona for more than 24 years, a relationship that began when Andrina’s brother Dylan joined the business after studying at the Culinary Institute.

“Dylan had worked with Valrhona during culinary school,” Andrina explains. “When he joined the company, he and my mom traveled to Tain-l’Hermitage to study at L’École Valrhona. That’s when they really became convinced that Valrhona offered the flavor profiles and quality they were looking for.”

Today, Fran’s continues to rely exclusively on Valrhona chocolate across its confections. For the iconic Gray Salt Caramel, the team uses a blend of Peruvian and Dominican chocolates, creating a balanced dark chocolate profile around 64% cacao. “We choose Valrhona not only for the flavor but also for their sourcing philosophy,” Andrina says. “The relationships with farmers and the commitment to ethical sourcing align closely with our own values.”

Carrying the Legacy Forward

More than forty years after the first shop opened in Seattle, Fran’s Chocolates remains a family business. Fran Bigelow still plays a role in the company, while the next generation now leads its future. Andrina oversees the business as CEO, while Dylan continues to develop new confections and chocolate creations as the company’s chocolatier. Together, they continue the mission Fran began decades ago: sharing the joy of pure chocolate.

Watch our visit to Fran’s Chocolates and see the famous Gray Salt Caramels being made on our Instagram @valrhonaUSA.

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