“We regard product quality as sacred.” Warren Buffett wrote that line in his 1983 shareholder letter while discussing See’s Candies — and it reads today like a mission statement for Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK.A) (BRK.B) entire playbook: put the customer first; defend the brand; and let quality widen the economic moat over decades.
Buffett’s comment was made at a time when Berkshire resolved to keep buying the best ingredients regardless of price at See’s, even as it tightened other costs. The point was simple: never compromise what the customer experiences. That stance underpins See’s enduring franchise and illustrates a broader Berkshire doctrine — win on value, not gimmicks.
