See's Candies Ramps Up Production For a Busy Holiday Season

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - After Halloween, some may already have their fill of candy. But not for the South San Francisco-based See's Candies factory where they're actually adding a second shift this week to ramp up for the holidays.

Picture five pounds of butter, slowly melting over a copper vat over a gas flame. If happiness had a smell, this would be it. Mary Estes has been with See's Candies for thirty-eight years. "So this is the old fashion way to cook and there's quite a few of our recipes still that are made by batch like this." Estes deliciously describes. "It's going to be a caramel."

It really is as cool as you'd imagine it would be.

Next on the tour, the truffle line. Yes, the truffle line. "We make all the truffle for the company. This is egg nog truffle we're making for the Christmas season." Imagine 5,000 five pound boxes for the holidays are hand decorated by women along the production line, just like the classic I Love Lucy episode.

"If you took a picture of how we did it then and how we do it today, its very much the same." HR Director Eric Marlin says. "And a lot of these bon-bon makers have been doing it for twenty to thirty years."

According to Marlin, See's Candies is hiring 400 people for their stores, 450 for the production line and if you want to be the next "Willy Wonka," See's has a training program.

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