There’s nothing like the smell of fresh-baked cookies wafting through the air. Whether it’s a classic chocolate chip or a cakey sugar cookie, you can’t go wrong with this perfect single-serve dessert. If you’ve been wanting to figure out how to start a cookie business, now is the time. Here’s why:
The Crumbl cookie franchise has been popping up everywhere thanks to its social media popularity. These bakeries sell a rotating menu of frosted cookies for about $4 a pop. But the thing is, many foodies are not impressed. Some even say Crumbl is “famous for making bad cookies.”
You know the cookie landscape is dire when the fastest-growing bakery’s cookies aren’t even tasty. That’s why the world needs your cookie business. We can help you answer the call with an online cookie shop.
Airmart shops allow you to sell your cookies for free so you can save on start-up costs for your cookie business. You won’t even need to rent a space, because you can legally bake and sell cookies from home as a cottage bakery. All you need to open your shop are a cookie business name, cookie photos, and a designated pickup spot or delivery method.
Now let’s get into the details of how to start selling cookies.
How to Start a Cookie Business
Pick a type of cookie business
You can choose to decorate custom sugar cookies for events and holidays or bake gourmet cookies for everyday eating. A custom sugar cookie business requires more artistic skill and more specialized equipment, while a gourmet cookie business will call for less artistry but more ingredients. No matter which type of cookie business you choose, this how-to guide will help you get it up and running.
How to Start a Gourmet Cookie Business
To start selling gourmet cookies, you’ll need to choose a menu. This menu can change from week to week or month to month, but you’ll want to start with the same list of cookies for a while to learn what customers like.
Gourmet cookies feature unique flavors, candies, and even other cookies inside. For gourmet cookie inspiration, check out Gideon’s Bakehouse, Stuffed Cookies, and Levain Bakery.
This Gourmet Cookie Bakers Facebook group is an invaluable resource for flavor ideas, pricing questions, and all the other ins and outs of running a cookie business.
How to Start a Custom Sugar Cookie Business
If you’re something of an artist, unleash your creativity with a decorated sugar cookie business. Here are some of the things you will need to get started:
- A basic sugar cookie recipe (or more if you want flavored sugar cookies)
- A good Royal icing recipe. This is the foundation for all sugar cookie designs.
- Cookie cutters. Start with a few basic shapes, but don’t go overboard. Many cookie cutters can be ‘flipped’ to create whole new shapes, and you can always borrow cookie cutters from your local bakery or even the library.
- Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Cooling/drying rack
- Piping bags
- Stencils
- A practice cookie, so you don’t waste cookies every time you try a new design.
Some cookie decorators use edible printers and projectors for making cookie designs. Those are investments to consider for later down the road once your business has taken off.
This Cookie Decorating 101 Facebook group is an excellent resource for getting support and tips while you are getting started.
How to Start a Cookie Business Online
The best way to take online cookie orders is to use the pre-ordering feature on Airmart. This is an especially great tool for holidays, birthdays, and corporate events.
You can also bring cookies to farmer’s markets and other festivals and then list the available quantities in your Airmart shop for easy mobile transactions.
Pricing Cookies
Gourmet cookie pricing: Factor in your time and costs, but ultimately, you get to decide how much your cookies are worth. If Crumbl sells their cookies for $4 each, so can you! For reference, the nearly half-pound cookies at Gideon’s Bakehouse are $6 each, and Stuffed Cookies go for $6.50 a pop.
Custom sugar cookie pricing: Your time and material costs will add up, so don’t lowball your custom sugar cookie prices. Many cookie artists charge between $45-$75 per dozen, depending on how elaborate the cookie design is.
Where to Find Customers for Your Cookie Business
Here are some tips for finding customers for your cookie business:
- Send an announcement to family, friends, and co-workers. This could be a social media post, a postcard, or an email.
- Connect with local coffee shops and cafes. You may be able to sell your gourmet cookies in their bakery cases.
- Drop off business cards at local corporate offices.
- Reach out to wedding planners in your area to let them know about your custom wedding cookie services.
- Create an Instagram for your cookie business.
- Share your cookies in local Facebook groups, on Nextdoor, and even on TikTok.
- Use SEO keywords in your online shop. The Airmart team can help you with this.
- Book an interview with the Airmart marketing team to get your shop featured on the blog.
Cookie Delivery
Delight customers with on-demand cookie delivery using the DoorDash integration on Airmart. For scheduled events like parties, you can use Airmart’s delivery route planning tool to make the deliveries yourself. If you are located in California, our delivery fleet is available to make weekly deliveries as well.
Shipping Cookies
Cookies are the easiest baked goods to ship. Wrap each cookie individually in plastic before placing in padded bubble mailers in a box. Make sure to fill in any empty space with packing material so that the cookies do not shift and break during shipping. Your Airmart shop has all the tools you need to ship your cookies nationwide. This cookie shipping guide will help you with the process.
Cookie Subscriptions
Take a page out of Crumbl’s playbook and offer cookie subscriptions with gourmet cookie flavors of the month or themed sugar cookies for each holiday. You can offer recurring cookie subscriptions right in your Airmart shop.
Take a step toward opening your cookie business by making an Airmart account.