by Emily on January 25, 2011
On January 23rd, 2011, the sun was shining and chocolate lovers from Santa Cruz and beyond came together to support the UCSC Women’s Club 4th Annual Chocolate Festival. Pacific Cookie Company made a public appearance at Cocoanut Grove in support of this chocolate tasting benefit, put on to raise funds for re-entry student scholarships at UCSC. We presented three of our top chocolate sellers: the classic Chocolate Chip, our extra chocolate-y Dr. Midnight, and one of my favorites, Mint Condition.
The event was WILDLY successful, and it was great to see such a spectacular turnout!! We hope you enjoyed our chocolate-y cookies and thank you again for all your support!
by Emily on December 31, 2010
As the year comes to a close, we enter a natural period of transition: the seasons change, the holidays come to an end, and we look forward to a new year. Additionally this year, Pacific Cookie is experiencing a transition in our office. After 3.5 years, I (Emily) am leaving the company to pursue graduate level education in business.
Working in the office of a for-profit business was not something I had ever envisioned myself doing, but my time working inside a small, family-owned company has redefined my ideas about what it means to “do business.” At the Pacific Cookie Company I have been a part of an organization that is at once creative, practical, and most importantly, successful without sacrificing integrity. I’ve witnessed the unique business community in Santa Cruz in which small businesses not only look out for themselves, but also each other. Local companies support local non-profits and Santa Cruz residents make it a part of their lifestyle to “think local first” when shopping for goods and services. This Santa Cruz culture was one of the reasons I moved here, but seeing this community through the lens of a small business employee, I felt for the first time that a career in business could be an accessible and powerful way to be a positive influence in the world.
My experience at Pacific Cookie Company has had a wonderfully positive impact on me and thanks to everything I have learned here, I am now off to graduate school. As I make my exit from the company, we welcome a new Emily (literally, her name is Emily too). Everyone is excited for her to join us and she has already proven herself by surviving the chaotic holiday season with grace. Watch the blog for posts from Emily about all things cookie and her experiences as the newest member of the Pacific Cookie team.
So, hello Emily and goodbye Emily. It’s been grand and I’ll miss you all.
by Emily on December 30, 2010
Have you ever wondered how your cookie order gets from the internet to your door? There is some special magic (and a lot of love) that go into baking, packaging, and shipping your cookie order.
Here’s a little peek:
Our customer service team receives your order, tells our production crew how many cookies to make, and brings packing slips to our packaging crew.
Our business office and wholesale bakery in Santa Cruz, CA.
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Larry & Shelly Pearson, the Pacific Cookie Company founders, smile after 30 years in business.
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The production crew gets busy mixing, scooping, and baking. On an average day, we produce about 1,000 dozen cookies; at our peak in December 2010 we produced over 2,300 dozen in one day (we had some very tired cookie elves after that!).
Cookies ready for the oven.
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When we say handmade, we really mean it: everyone of these cookies were scooped by hand. The snickerdoodles pictured are being rolled in cinnamon and sugar before being baked.
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After the cookies are cool to the touch, our packaging crew put them in sleeves, nestle them in decorative shred, and wrap them in the packaging of your choice. Our packaging ladies are masters of bow tying and make sure every gift is packed carefully to arrive looking beautiful.
Putting the finishing touches on a Zen Something Sweet gift box.
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Completed package ready to be picked up by FedEx.
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Our wonderful FedEx drivers come by every evening to pick up the cookies that were baked and packaged that day. Then they are in the safe hands of FedEx and on their way to the lucky recipient.
by Emily on October 14, 2010
To celebrate 30 years of baking SUPER cookies, we asked our loyal cookie lovers to show us what it would look like if one cookie rose above the rest and became a SUPER HERO cookie. The creator of the best cookie super hero would win one dozen cookies each month for one year.
Now a hero has emerged… from the mind of Alice Grunstra came Samantha Greene a.k.a. Mint Condition.
Here’s her story:
What are Mint Condition’s powers?
Icy cold breath and a superhuman ability to keep her cool under pressure.
How did she gain her powers?
After eating a particularly dense and chocolate-y brownie, Samantha Greene brushed her teeth before going to bed. Unbeknownst to her, her tube of toothpaste contained extract from a magical mint plant. The flavors of mint and chocolate combined to make her the super-cool super hero she is today.
Does she have a weakness?
A severe allergy to nuts.
Does she have an archenemy?
The crafty Cahootz, whose unpredictable (yet delicious) crunch never fails to keep her on her toes.
Congratulations Alice! Thanks for bringing us a wonderful cookie super hero!
We had many great submissions and also chose four honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
