Crumbl Cookies: Making Way To People’s Heart By Serving Their Sweet Cravings In The Most Delightful Way

Most Admired Companies of the Year 2023

What makes “Crumbl Cookies” a preferred choice among your clientele over other competitors?

Staff members mix, bake, and prepare the cookies fresh in an open kitchen for all to see inside every Crumbl location. Crumbl’s famous pink box is then used for packaging the cookies, then taken home to enjoy. “Having our customers see every cookie being made is one of the best experiences of our stores,” Crumbl Co-Founder and COO Sawyer Hemsley said. “Each ingredient is hand-picked to ensure that customers receive the highest-quality cookie available.”

How did you get the idea to start Crumbl Cookies?

It all began with a big dream, two crazy cousins, and the ideal blend of flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. Jason McGowan (CEO) and Sawyer Hemsley co-founded Crumbl (COO). They joined forces and dove right into the world of baking. After thousands of dollars in the wasted dough, the two cousins decided to take their ‘perfect cookie quest’ to the people, recipes that didn’t live up to their expectations, and cookies that are still embarrassing today. They gathered feedback and tested recipes until they came up with the world’s best chocolate chip cookie, which is still a part of the Crumbl process.

How did you start the first store of Crumbl Cookies, and what has been your USP since then?

In 2017, while Sawyer was attending Utah State University, the duo and their family opened Crumbl’s first store in Logan, Utah, after perfecting the recipe. Crumbl customers have been able to watch their cookies being mixed, balled, baked, and dressed in real-time since the beginning. The high-quality ingredients used in each batch were equally important. Crumbl began by offering only fresh milk chocolate chip cookies for takeout and delivery. Still, other services such as curbside pickup, catering, nationwide shipping, and more were added as time went on.

Crumbl’s flavour selection expanded as the company grew. Crumbl’s award-winning milk chocolate chip cookie has always been available, and their chilled pink sugar cookie quickly became a semi-permanent menu item. Crumbl then introduced its rotating menu concept. Above all, its USP is the iconic pink packaging. Crumbl’s rotating menu’s frequency and timing evolved over a year, culminating in its iconic four-flavour weekly rotation in December 2018. Since then, new flavours have been added regularly, often weekly, and existing recipes have been updated and improved.

Shed some light on the global presence of “Crumbl Cookies”?

Crumbl has grown to over 300 bakeries in 36 states since its inception three years ago, making it the nation’s fastest-growing cookie company. Crumbl is a family-owned business that is proud to support the livelihoods of its thousands of local franchise partners, managers, and bakers, no matter how big the brand grows. Crumbl will work harder than ever to fulfil its mission of bringing families and friends together over the best box of cookies in the world with each new bakery.

What, according to you, could be the big change in the retail business about short shelf-life products?

From raw materials to consumers, the entire supply chain will be made up of quantum computer AIs communicating with other AIs to optimise the process by 2050. Human labour will be largely obsolete by that time. Factories will require less space and thus less capital investment in infrastructure if humans are no longer required. But, as an entrepreneur, we always feel that machines can never replace human efforts.

What are your future aspirations? Where do you see Crumbl Cookies in the next coming years?

The company now focuses on creating unique and delicious cookies inspired by popular flavours, foods, and desserts of all kinds, including pies, cakes, candies, and more. Taste Weekly at Crumbl is open to everyone! Crumbl is rapidly expanding across the country, with plans to open 100 new locations in the next few years.

What is the piece of advice you want to give to the Entrepreneurs?

An idea for a business is the first step, followed by hours of research and reaching out to people who can assist. Your future business will be successful if you have a solid concept, well-researched information, and a strong network. “Be Your Own Biggest Critic and Learn How to Market Your Business,” I can confidently say.

How has technology helped you to take your business to reach a wider audience?

The brand’s social media strategy aligns with its digital e-commerce investment. In 2018, Crumbl released a mobile app. The brand updated its app 25 times last year, adding curbside pickup and ice cream delivery in June 2020 and a loyalty programme that rewards mega-fans with points for their purchases in September 2020. Just before the holiday season in November 2020, the brand launched Crumbl Catering, a broader range of cookie options in bulk for post-pandemic events, as well as digital gift cards. Despite restaurant re-openings, consumer interest in delivery remains high, so this year, the brand added a delivery tracker.