The Murky History Behind Your Favorite Valentine's Chocolate Brands

Between January and mid-February, the stores are stacked to the brim with heart-shaped, pink-and-red chocolate boxes from various different brands, all vying for our attention (and dollars). As a matter of fact, Americans consume millions of chocolates every year on Valentine's Day. But there are two brands in particular that have been a trusted staple among the grocery store selection of Valentine's Day boxed chocolates for decades: Russell Stover and Whitman's.

If you think of these brands as direct competitors and perhaps even engaged in debates with friends about which one is the superior Valentine's pick, you might be surprised to learn the two have been operating under one roof since 1993. While both are American-founded brands, Whitman's is the older of the two, reaching back to 1842 and preceding Russell Stover by 80 years. Whitman's Chocolate quickly rose to fame and even received an award for product excellence in 1878. By the early '90s, however, it was Russell Stover that had an upper hand in the market, as Whitman's wasn't reaching the desired financial goals for its parent company, Pet Inc. This ultimately led the parent company to sell Whitman's brand and assets to Russel Stover for $35 million in 1993, effectively consolidating two major competitors in the boxed-chocolates market.

In 2014, Russell Stover (and with it, Whitman's) lost American ownership when it was purchased by Lindt & Sprüngli — the popular Swiss brand that changed the chocolate industry forever. This sale put Lindt in the third spot of the American chocolate market, behind Hershey and Mars. Russell Stover sold for over a billion dollars, giving Lindt a stronger footing in the holiday market, as it owns two of the most recognizable seasonal brands of chocolates. Despite being bought by a European company, Russell Stover stayed American at its core — Lindt kept the brand's American headquarters, as well as its factories. To this day, Russell Stover chocolates are manufactured in the U.S., and many of the ingredients are sourced stateside, too. "Our cream and milk come from Oklahoma, cherries from Michigan and Oregon, and peanuts from across the South," the brand states on its website.

As of 2026, the Russell Stover website still includes Whitman's chocolates, and the Valentine's Day selection for both is anything but scarce. Whitman's Sampler and Russell Stover Assorted Chocolates both sell for $8.99 for a 5.1-ounce box. Some customers speculated certain products from the two brands are identical, after a photo posted on Reddit in 2019 revealed matching ingredients and nutritional facts printed on the two chocolate boxes. As for Lindt, the brand appears to be positioning itself as the most premium of the three, charging just over $23 for a 5.7-ounce box of Valentine's chocolates.