LINDON, UTAH — At first, the ambitious founders of Crumbl understood that everyone might not be accustomed to cookies so large (Crumbl cookies range in size from 4 oz to 5.5 oz).

But the overriding message that these oversized sweet treats are delivering — cookies meant for sharing — rose to be the answer that consumers had long been searching for.

And now the experimental minds of these ingenious cookie creators have just scratched the surface of possibilities.

“What did people grow up with,” said Sawyer Hemsley, co-founder of Crumbl. “Well, we want to transform that into a cookie flavor.

“Nostalgic does play a huge role. There is such a large array of flavors I want to try. It’s my favorite part of the job — the creativity. We have an extensive testing process. We have 50 testing sites in the nation where we are getting live feedback from our customers. We are truly data driven.”

It all comes down to your product — large, warm homemade cookies, Mr. Hemsley said.

“Since Day One, people have lined up out the door for this experience,” he said. “Everyone can tie it back to a favorite childhood memory.”

Cookies make people happy, he said, and there is a lot of truth to his message.

Cookies are easy to consume and very palatable. People also love the experience of walking into the bakery’s open kitchen to see every step of the production process — cracking eggs, turning on the mixer, and the final steps of decorating each cookie.

“You almost feel like walking into your kitchen at home,” Mr. Hemsley said, only this time someone else is doing all the work for you.

And easy and quick technology whisks customers through the door from start to finish in just minutes.

Using the right mixers

“Equipment is everything to us, and we have learned a lot in six years,” Mr. Hemsley explained. “At first, we used mixers that kept breaking. And having young bakers to manage equipment is a big job.”

Their solution? They updated their entire mixer line to Hobart.

“We knew Hobart was the king of kings,” he said. “Our equipment has to be super efficient.”

Each of its 370-plus stores across the nation operates with two 60-quart Hobart Legacy+ mixers and most, except some smaller stores, use one 20-quart Legacy+ mixer.

They also relied on ovens from Hobart in the beginning.

“Our first oven was a Hobart,” he said. “It gave us our start, and I love it.

"We designed our kitchen specifically so customers can see the eggs being cracked, the flour being poured, and the dough being balled. This creates an immersive experience and shows our customers that we care about providing fresh, high-quality cookies.”

Fulfilling the dream

Crumbl all started with one big dream, two cookie-crazed cousins, and the perfect combination of flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. The brand was co-founded by Jason McGowan, chief executive officer and Mr. Hemsley, chief operating officer, when they teamed up and dove head-first into the world of baking. After thousands of dollars in dough, recipes that didn’t live up to expectations, and cookies that are just plain embarrassing to them today, the pair decided to take their “perfect cookie quest” to the people. They gathered feedback and tested recipe — a practice that is still part of the Crumbl process.

After developing the perfect recipe, the duo and their family opened Crumbl’s first store in Logan, Utah, in 2017. From day one, it was important to them that Crumbl customers see their cookies being mixed, baked, and dressed in real-time. Equally as important were the high-quality ingredients.

At first, Crumbl only served fresh milk chocolate chip cookies for takeout and delivery, but other services became available like curbside pickup, catering, nationwide shipping and more.

As Crumbl continued to grow, so did their flavor offerings. Crumbl’s milk chocolate chip cookie has always been on the menu with its chilled classic pink sugar cookie becoming added soon after.

Crumbl then introduced its concept of a rotating menu. The frequency and timing of Crumbl’s rotating menu evolved over the course of a year until its iconic four-flavor weekly rotation was officially established in December 2018. Since then, new flavors are added frequently — often weekly — in addition to current recipes receiving updates and improvements.

Steeped in tradition

Tradition is integral to every step of their path forward. Mr. Hemsley said he grew up in Idaho; “my grandmother was the best baker I knew.” His hometown is Preston, Idaho, in close proximity to the Idaho-Utah border. Baking was a constant in the family kitchen.

Mr. McGowan, his business partner at Crumb, is his cousin. Needless to say, they both grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Mr. Hemsley recalled that while in college (when DoorDash was just getting started), the pair decided to parlay their tech studies and background into producing a warm cookie that delivered on the promise — “less hassle, no mess.” This phrase became an unwavering mantra to their ultimate success.

There were early missteps, of course, but everything turned out more delicious than one of their own warm chocolate chip cookies.

They bought equipment and started making hundreds of batches of cookies. It took them six months to reach their goal of the quality they really wanted. They knew their recipe must feature butter, brown sugar, freshly cracked eggs — just like what they grew up with. The flavor had to be exceptional.

And there was plenty of marketing. Mr. Hemsley was highly involved in campus activities, so connections were around every corner. They used newspaper, radio, and other media to spread the word. It worked.

 “It has been so fun, but a lot of learning,” Mr. Hemsley said. “Going through the trials of starting a business helped us master the craft.”

For the first several months, they only made chocolate chip cookies. Then they added their classic pink sugar cookie and from there, “people just wanted more.”

Quite possibly their smartest move was to stick with one cookie recipe and vary the flavors using different inclusions. Keep it simple, they reminded themselves.

Then the flavors started to expand. At first, they introduced a new flavor every day, but more recently discovered that one new flavor every week worked better. They would stick with four core flavors every week.

“I personally pick the lineup each week in our weekly-rotating menu,” Mr. Hemsley said. “I try to pick cookies that appeal to everyone while still providing a variety of new and exciting flavors. We typically try to include a chocolate or vanilla base, something frosted, then add more unique flavors.”

Branching out

The Crumbl creators never imagined they would leave the state of Utah. Their first store remains their lone corporate store. But franchising opened up a whole new world.

“My parents opened our first franchise store,” Mr. Hemsley said. Today, the number of franchise stores exceeds 400.

“We had massive growth because people wanted to be involved in the magic of the cookie industry,” he pointed out. “Now we have one corporate store, and the rest are locally owned and operated. A lot of lives have changed. Go into the cookie world and do something that makes people happy. That’s an appealing message.”

Marketing plays an enormous role in the success of Crumbl.

“You need energy and visuals,” Mr. Hemsley explained. “We have owned pink since the beginning. You know our long pink box right away. It makes the brand Instagrammable.”

The Crumbl founders also understood that people love to be food critics. This is why the customer rating function is an integral part of the experience from Day One.

The rotating cookie menu keeps people wondering what will be next.

“It is almost like Christmas every week when a new cookie drops,” he said. “We develop 30 to 50 new flavors every year, and this year our new campaign introduces a new flavor every week.”

Branding strategies

The brand now focuses on developing unique and delicious cookies inspired by popular flavors, foods, desserts of all kinds — from pies to cakes to candies and more.

Crumbl’s cookies wouldn’t be complete without their iconic pink packaging. Crumbl’s boxes are designed to perfectly fit each Crumbl cookie side-by-side, no matter what size. The “4-pack” pink box — the brand’s most popular and notable — was developed in 2018, shortly after Crumbl sold its very first cookie. The unique shape along with the brand’s signature pink coloring made it instantly recognizable.

Since opening its doors three years ago, Crumbl has expanded to more than 370 bakeries in 36 states nationwide, making it the largest cookie company in the nation, as well as the fastest-growing franchise.

No matter how big the brand becomes, Crumbl is a family-owned business that is proud to serve thousands of customers nationwide. With each new bakery, Crumbl will strive harder than ever to fulfill its mission of bringing friends and family together over a box of the best cookies in the world.

Crumbl Cookies steps up to take on wedding season, graduation season, spring holidays, and every event in between with its weekly rotating menu and famous pink box.

Crumbl’s unique approach to the dessert experience overall makes their cookies the dessert for any event, no matter the holiday or celebration, Mr. Hemsley said.

“Our cookies are delicious and take any celebration to the next level,” Mr. McGowan said. “We offer takeout, local delivery, curbside pickup, nationwide shipping, and catering. When it comes to celebrating with friends and family, we want Crumbl there to make it even sweeter.”

Crumbl’s catering program began in 2018, offering their normally oversized cookies in addition to miniature-sized cookies. Customers can choose size and flavor in addition to various packaging options and cookie toppers.

“Our catering cookies are perfect for dressing up all kinds of gatherings,” Mr. Hemsley said. “We also have delivery and digital gifting options, which help friends, families, and loved ones to connect from afar."

With an in-store visit, cookie lovers will see staff members mix, bake, and prepare the cookies fresh in an open kitchen for all to see.

“Having our customers see every cookie being made is one of the best experiences of our stores,” Mr. Hemsley said. “Each ingredient is carefully chosen to provide customers with the highest quality cookies, every time.”