Buffett's Candies

Buffett's Candies is a family-owned candy business based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Established in 1956 by George D. Buffett, a former New Mexico state representative and cousin of investor Warren Buffett, the company developed as a local confectionery and retail operation rather than as part of the better-known Berkshire Hathaway group. Its business combines in-store candy retailing, confection production, and concessions activity. The company is associated with a broad assortment of traditional American sweets, including chocolates, creams, truffles, brittles, fudge, cherry cordials, caramel corn, candied popcorn, lollipops, and seasonal products. Its New Mexico identity is reflected in specialties made with regional ingredients and flavors, particularly piñon candy using locally harvested piñon nuts, green chile caramel popcorn, and the Pecañero Brittle. Other recognizable products include chocolate-pecan caramels known as pecan “horny toads,” soft divinity, and assorted nut brittles. Seasonal offerings have included chocolate-covered strawberries, salt water taffy, and holiday-themed novelties. George D. Buffett operated the store on a daily basis until his death in 2012. His youngest daughter, Patty, worked alongside him for approximately two decades and later divested from the business in 2018. His sons, George Duval Buffett II and John Buffett, managed the concessions side of the enterprise. After George Duval Buffett II died in 2022, Donna, John, Patty, and Tyler Buffett continued running the business. In 2024, Buffett's Candies expanded with a second location. The new site was described as a 20,000-square-foot facility designed to give visitors a factory-like experience, including a floor-to-ceiling glass, 20-foot immersive walk-in feature. This expansion broadened the brand's role from a traditional candy store into a visitor-oriented confectionery destination while retaining its family-operated and regional character. The brand's positioning rests on handmade-style confectionery, family continuity, local New Mexico flavor, and an experience centered on seeing and buying candy in a physical retail setting. Publicly available reference material does not establish a national chain, public listing, parent corporation, or material international business presence.

Buffett's Candies was established in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1956 by George D. Buffett, a former state representative and cousin of Warren Buffett. Despite the family name connection, the confectionery is documented as a separate local candy business rather than as a brand of Berkshire Hathaway or another large corporate group. George D. Buffett remained closely involved with the store throughout his life and reportedly ran it each day until his death in 2012. The business developed around traditional confectionery production and retail sales, with a product range spanning chocolates, creams, truffles, fudge, brittles, cherry cordials, caramel corn, candied popcorn, lollipops, and other sweets. Its identity was particularly tied to New Mexico flavors and ingredients. Piñon candy made with locally harvested piñon nuts, green chile caramel popcorn, and Pecañero Brittle helped distinguish the store from generic candy retailers. The range also included pecan chocolate caramels called “horny toads,” soft divinity, assorted nut brittles, and seasonal products such as chocolate-covered strawberries, salt water taffy, and holiday novelties. The company remained a family enterprise across successive generations. Patty Buffett, George D. Buffett's youngest daughter, worked alongside him for roughly 20 years before divesting from the business in 2018. His sons George Duval Buffett II and John Buffett were responsible for the concessions portion of the operation. George Duval Buffett II died in 2022. Following that loss, Donna, John, and Patty Buffett, together with Tyler, continued running the enterprise. A significant later development came in 2024, when Buffett's Candies opened a second location. The new facility was reported to occupy approximately 20,000 square feet and included a 20-foot immersive walk-in with floor-to-ceiling glass. The design enabled visitors to observe a factory-like candy environment, adding an attraction and experiential dimension to the company's established retail model. The available reference material does not document a public stock listing, a corporate parent, nationwide chain operations, international markets, major acquisitions, or financial disclosures. The business is best characterized as an active, family-operated regional confectionery with a retail and visitor-experience component.

• 2024

  Second location opens

  [1]Buffett's Candiesen.wikipedia.org

  The business opens a second, approximately 20,000-square-foot facility designed to provide visitors with an immersive factory-style experience.

• 2022

  George Duval Buffett II dies

  [1]Buffett's Candiesen.wikipedia.org

  George Duval Buffett II, an operator of the concessions business, dies.

• 2018

  Patty Buffett divests

  [1]Buffett's Candiesen.wikipedia.org

  Patty Buffett, who had operated the store with her father for approximately two decades, divests from the business.

• 2012

  Founder George D. Buffett dies

  [1]Buffett's Candiesen.wikipedia.org

  George D. Buffett dies after decades of hands-on operation of the store.

• 1956

  Buffett's Candies is established

  [1]Buffett's Candiesen.wikipedia.org

  George D. Buffett establishes the candy business in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A family-run New Mexico confectionery known for traditional candy-making, regional ingredients such as piñon nuts and green chile, specialty brittles and caramels, and an increasingly experiential factory-style retail destination.

• Regional confection

  Piñon candy

  A New Mexico-associated specialty made with locally harvested piñon nuts. The product expresses the brand's regional identity by combining traditional candy-making with an ingredient strongly associated with the Southwest.

• Popcorn confection

  Green chile caramel popcorn

  Caramel popcorn incorporating green chile flavor, pairing a familiar sweet snack format with a distinctly New Mexican flavor profile.

• Nut brittle

  Pecañero Brittle

  A signature brittle associated with Buffett's Candies. It belongs to the company's broader range of nut-based confections and is presented as one of its distinctive specialty products.

• Chocolate caramel

  Pecan “horny toads”

  Pecan chocolate caramels sold under the informal “horny toads” name. They combine nuts, caramel, and chocolate in a recognizable Buffett's Candies specialty.

• Chocolate confectionery

  Traditional chocolates and creams

  The core assortment includes chocolates, creams, truffles, cherry cordials, and related molded or filled sweets. These products form the traditional confectionery foundation of the retail business.

• Traditional confection

  Brittles and fudge

  The company produces several forms of brittle, including nut brittles, along with fudge and soft divinity. These products extend the assortment beyond chocolate and emphasize classic candy-store techniques.

• Seasonal confectionery

  Seasonal specialties

  Seasonal offerings have included chocolate-covered strawberries, salt water taffy, and holiday-themed novelties. The selection changes with holidays and occasions, supporting the store's role as a destination for gifts and celebrations.

• 2024

  Expand into an immersive visitor facilityStrategy

  Background

  After decades as a local candy retail and production business, Buffett's Candies opened a second location in a substantially larger facility.

  Action taken

  The company created an approximately 20,000-square-foot site with a 20-foot, floor-to-ceiling-glass immersive feature intended to give visitors a factory-style experience.

  Aftermath

  The move broadened the brand's physical footprint and added an experiential attraction to its confectionery and retail operations. No financial results were provided in the reference material.

  Source

1. 1Buffett's Candiesen.wikipedia.org