Eileen's Colossal Cookies

What Eileen's Colossal Cookies does

Eileen's Colossal Cookies is a privately held, family-owned cookie retailer founded in Hastings, Nebraska in 1982 by Eileen, who began by selling hand-decorated cookies from her home after taking a cake decorating class. The company operates a portfolio of core products centered on custom decorated cookies in sizes ranging from 3 to 16 inches, supported by standardized 3-inch and 4-inch cookie dozens (plain, frosted, and sprinkled), pre-arranged cookie trays, a frosting-to-go add-on, and an extensive design catalog organized by occasion (birthdays, weddings, holidays, baby showers, graduations, etc.). All products are produced from in-house recipes and frosting formulations across 12+ flavors.

The business combines a small set of corporate-owned stores (including the original 1983 Hastings location and early Nebraska stores in Grand Island and Kearney) with a franchise network that has been in place since 1994. There are approximately 28 retail locations spread across 9 contiguous Midwest states (Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming), with distribution supported by in-store purchase, online ordering, curbside pickup, Eat Street, and DoorDash delivery at select locations. A cookie dough fundraising program serves schools, churches, sports teams, and community organizations.

Revenue is generated through four streams: direct retail cookie sales at corporate stores, a 6% royalty on gross receipts from franchisees, one-time franchise fees (with total franchise investment ranging from $223,000 to $277,000 per unit), and cookie dough fundraising sales. The company is led by founder Eileen alongside her sons Tony Harman (franchise director and supply chain lead since 2006) and Gabe Harman (corporate store operations and finance since 2009), with an office manager (Sarah Bruce) in place since 2007. No revenue is publicly disclosed and the company employs 11-50 people.

Name

Eileen's Colossal Cookies

Legal name

Eileen's Colossal Cookies

Website

https://eileenscookies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eileen's Colossal Cookies is a family-owned Midwestern cookie retailer founded in 1982, selling hand-decorated custom cookies in sizes from 3 to 16 inches through corporate and franchise stores across 9 states, plus cookie dough fundraising programs for organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Bakery

NAICS

Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Cookie & Brownie Shops (THAFAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE), Cookies, Biscuits & Crackers Manufacturing (AFAKAAAC)

Keywords

• Custom decorated cookies
• Cookie retail
• Bakery franchise
• Fundraising cookies
• Specialty baked goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Hastings

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Cookie Sales: Revenue from direct retail sales of cookies including standard cookies, frosted cookies, sprinkled cookies, and custom decorated cookies at store locations.
2. Franchise Royalty: 6% royalty on total gross receipts from franchise locations, providing ongoing recurring revenue from franchise network.
3. Cookie Dough Fundraising: Organizations pre-sell cookie dough for fundraising; company produces and delivers dough to sellers.
4. Franchise Fees: Initial franchise fees for new franchise owners, included in the $223,000-$277,000 total investment estimate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Eileen's Colossal Cookies produces and sells hand-decorated custom cookies in sizes ranging from 3 to 16 inches for occasions such as birthdays, weddings, holidays, baby showers, and corporate events. The company also offers standard 3-inch and 4-inch cookies in dozens, pre-arranged cookie trays, frosting to go, and a cookie dough fundraising program. Products are sold through company-owned and franchise retail stores across nine Midwestern states.

Product overview

Eileen's Colossal Cookies offers a portfolio of cookie products centered around hand-decorated cookies in sizes ranging from 3 to 16 inches, along with standard packaged cookies in dozens. The core offerings include Custom Decorated Cookies for special occasions (birthdays, weddings, holidays, graduations, etc.), various sized plain and frosted cookies (3-inch and 4-inch dozens), Cookie Trays for events, and Frosting to Go as an add-on product. The company also operates a Fundraising program selling Cookie Dough. All products are available across multiple flavors (12+ varieties) including Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Snickerdoodle, and specialty seasonal flavors. The business operates on a franchise model with locations across the Midwest (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Decorated Cookies Hand-frosted custom cookies in sizes from 3 to 16 inches, decorated for occasions such as birthdays, weddings, holidays, baby showers, graduations, and corporate events. Available through corporate and franchise retail stores.
• 3 Inch Dozens Standard 3-inch cookies packaged in convenient dozen sleeves, available in 12 or more flavors for everyday purchase.
• 3 Inch Frosted Dozens 3-inch cookies with bright frosting in a variety of colors. Frosted sugar cookies are always available, and other flavors can be frosted on request.
• 3 Inch Sprinkled Dozens 3-inch cookies topped with various sprinkle combinations, made with any of 12 or more flavors.
• 4 Inch Cookies

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nestlé Toll House Café: Franchise concept built around Nestle Toll House cookie products and baked treats. Directly comparable custom decorated cookies and franchise retail unit economics.
• Crumbl Cookies: Largest and fastest-growing U.S. cookie franchise, specializing in rotating/custom decorated cookies sold via mobile-order and delivery. Direct competitor to Eileen's Colossal Cookies across product, customer base, and franchise GTM.
• Mrs. Fields: Long-established cookie and baked goods franchise with mall and street-front retail locations. Direct peer to Eileen's Colossal Cookies in cookie retail, gift/occasion positioning, and franchise operating model.
• Great American Cookies: National cookie cake and baked goods franchise commonly found in malls and shopping centers. Closely comparable product (cookie cakes, decorated cookies) and franchise retail model.
• Insomnia Cookies: Specialty cookie retailer with strong late-night delivery and digital ordering infrastructure. Comparable on product (cookies, custom occasion orders) but stronger on digital/delivery.
• Dirty Dough: Fast-growing cookie franchise concept focused on warm, fresh-baked cookie products. Same franchise + retail + custom occasion model as Eileen's Colossal Cookies.
• Tiff's Treats: Cookie delivery franchise specializing in warm cookies delivered for occasions. Comparable on cookie product and franchise-driven retail/delivery GTM, but delivery-centric rather than storefront.

Broad incumbents

• Cinnabon: Iconic franchise bakery concept (cinnamon rolls) in malls, airports, and street fronts. Comparable as a baked-goods franchise system with shared franchise economics and occasion-based consumption.
• Auntie Anne's: Large-scale baked-goods franchise (pretzels) with mall and high-traffic retail focus. Comparable on franchise GTM, mall/retail real estate strategy, and occasion-snack positioning.
• Nothing Bundt Cakes: Specialty cake franchise with strong gifting/occasion positioning and franchised retail. Comparable occasion-driven bakery franchise model, though product is cake rather than cookies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eileenscookies1
• Facebookfacebook.com/eileenscookies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eileen's Colossal Cookies