The Recipe for Success: Crumbl’s Business Strategy Explained
Did you know that Crumbl Cookies was founded 9 years ago by two cousins in Utah?
It all began with co-founders Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley, who came together in 2017 with a simple goal: to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie. With that, ‘Crumbl Cookies’ was born, and has taken North America by storm since 2021.
But how did they do it?
Interestingly, the cousins started out with very little expertise in the cookie industry. McGowan worked in tech, and Hemsley was still in college. What started as a small side project quickly grew into something much bigger than they ever anticipated.
Why Everyone Wants Crumbl
Ever heard of the brand Supreme? Known for its flashy red logo, Supreme was the symbol of exclusivity, with product drops coming out weekly.
Crumbl follows the same model. By releasing a rotating weekly menu of 4 unique cookie flavours, the company creates scarcity and drives demand. Customers experience FOMO, or the fear of missing out, because flavours may never return. After all, who could resist a Halloween Confetti Milkshake Cookie available for one week only?
This approach builds a loyal customer base by giving people a reason to come back frequently. Fans even gather on platforms like Reddit to amass flavour lists and predict upcoming ones.
How Crumbl Took Over Social Media
Another factor that directly contributed to Crumbl’s success was how ‘Instagrammable’ its products are.
From its iconic pink boxes to its visually appealing cookies, the brand is perfectly designed for social media. Influencers leave “Crumbl reviews” on every platform, predominantly Tiktok, where the weekly menus create means for ongoing content rather than one-time posts.
This tactic has amassed over 3 million followers through massive user-generated content (UGC). You don’t even need to be an influencer to post about Crumbl! As long as you are a buyer, anyone can pick up their phones and record their honest reactions.
Scaling Fast: The Franchise Model
So how has Crumbl grown to more than 1000 stores worldwide? This is all thanks to its franchise model, where the company licenses their brand and products to independent operators called franchisees, in exchange for fees.
Thanks to Crumbl’s early success and established brand, many franchisees were eager to join, with high initial success rates. As a result, in 2023, Crumbl made over $122 million in revenue from franchise royalties alone (Melvin, 2025)!
Today, Crumbl is valued at approximately $2 billion.
If there is one lesson to take from Crumbl’s success, it is the importance of staying relevant. By tapping into trends like exclusivity, social media culture, and even the element of surprise seen in products like blind boxes, Crumbl has transformed a simple dessert into a highly anticipated experience.
References
McCann, M. (2022, October 31). How CRUMBL cookies took over TikTok. Modern Retail. https://www.modernretail.co/retailers/how-crumbl-cookies-took-over-tiktok/#:~:text=On%20Reddit%20too%2C%20fans%20spend,with%20points%20for%20their%20purchases.
Melvin, S. (2025). How crumbl cookies devoured america. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonemelvin/2025/03/02/how-crumbl-cookies-devoured-america/
WD. (2024). The story of Crumbl: America’s billion dollar luxury cookie | how a fun side hustle of two regular kids became a billion-dollar social media sensation | Medium. Medium. https://medium.com/@marketingoal/crumbl-cookies-business-brand-story-018574aea71c