Dewey’s started as a small, regional bakery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1930, which is still operational today.
“I like to talk about us as being a 90-year-old startup,” Dewey’s chief marketing officer, Ellen Howse, told FoodNavigator-USA.
The company started to expand beyond its regional, small-town fame when Chris Livengood, former president and CEO of Krispy Kreme purchased the company in 2006. Livengood had a vision of expanding the Dewey’s name beyond retail.
“He was very focused on e-commerce and on branded products. We started making inroads into retail over the past five years,” said Howse.
This past year is when things have really started to pick up for the brand with a national launch at 2,000+ Safeway Albertsons stores and other retailers including Schnucks and Stop & Shop.
“That gives us a true national presence, and I think that will be a game-changer for us,” noted Howse, who added that many retailers are looking for ways to expand their cookie set.
“Retailers are really looking for new and different and relevant offerings for their consumers. I think at the end of the day, especially for cookies, it’s about unique flavors and textures. If it doesn’t taste good, nothing else really matters,” she said.
The fact that Dewey’s thin crispy cookie recipe hasn’t deviated much from its early bakery days (containing no artificial preservatives or other additives) has served as a huge draw for consumers and retailers alike, claimed Howse.
The power of permissible indulgence
Part of Dewey’s main appeal is that consumers feel like they are still indulging without all the guilt that usually comes with eating a handful of cookies.