Cookies by Design
Cookies by Design is a United States baked-goods company known for decorative cookie bouquets and gift-oriented baked products.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Cookies by Design is an American producer and retailer of baked goods whose best-known offering is the cookie bouquet: an arrangement of decorated cookies or other baked items mounted on sticks and presented in a container designed to resemble a floral gift arrangement. The format positioned the company between a bakery, a confectionery business, and a gift-delivery service, making its products suitable for birthdays, holidays, congratulations, corporate recognition, and other occasions where presentation is as important as the food itself. The business was founded in 1983 in Plano, Texas, by Gwen Willhite. According to the company’s published history as summarized in reference material, Willhite entered the business after losing her previous job and developed the cookie-bouquet concept as its signature product. The first franchised Cookie Bouquet location opened in 1987, marking an early shift from a single-originating business toward a distributed retail and franchise model. The company originally operated under the name Cookie Bouquet. During expansion into California, its name was challenged by a San Jose company called Cookie Florist, which also sold similar cookie arrangements. Cookies by Design subsequently adopted its current name, helping distinguish the business while preserving the design-centered identity of its products. The company’s product concept remained focused on customized, visually distinctive baked goods rather than conventional packaged cookies sold primarily through grocery channels. Cookies by Design was sold to Crumb Corps, LLC, in 2007. Jon Rice became president and chief executive officer after the transaction. Reference material describes the business as having approximately 70 corporate and franchised locations in the United States and reporting $54 million in sales in 2006, before the sale; that historical sales figure is not treated here as a current financial measure. The company later broadened its assortment beyond cookie arrangements. In 2015 it began selling cupcakes under the Cupcakes by Design name. In 2021, the cupcake business expanded to nationwide delivery, extending the company’s reach beyond local or regional store service and reinforcing its role as an occasion-based bakery and gifting provider. The brand’s market position is built around personalization, visual presentation, and delivery convenience. Its products are generally designed to function both as food and as gifts, with arrangements and decorated items serving as celebratory displays. The business has used corporate and franchised locations to reach customers across the United States, although detailed current ownership, headquarters, store count, management, and financial information are not established by the supplied reference material.
History
Cookies by Design originated in Plano, Texas, in 1983, when Gwen Willhite established the business after losing her previous employment. Its defining idea was to turn decorated cookies into a gift arrangement. Cookies were placed on sticks and assembled in decorative containers so that the finished product resembled a bouquet of flowers. This format gave the company a distinctive identity in the broader bakery and gift-delivery market, because the product was intended to be displayed and presented as well as eaten. The business developed from its original operation into a franchise system. The first franchised Cookie Bouquet location opened in 1987. Franchising enabled the concept to be reproduced in multiple markets while retaining the central product idea of decorated, occasion-focused cookie arrangements. The company’s name was initially Cookie Bouquet, but its expansion into California created a trademark-related challenge. A San Jose business called Cookie Florist also sold similar cookie bouquets, and the resulting dispute led the company to adopt the Cookies by Design name. The renamed business continued to focus on customized baked gifts, using decoration, arrangement, and presentation as key elements of its offer. Rather than competing only as a conventional cookie producer, it operated as a hybrid bakery and gifting company, serving personal celebrations and other events through corporate and franchised locations. Reference material states that the company had approximately 70 corporate and franchised locations in the United States and recorded $54 million in sales in 2006. Those figures describe the period before its subsequent ownership change and should not be read as current performance data. In 2007, Cookies by Design was sold to Crumb Corps, LLC. Jon Rice assumed the roles of president and chief executive officer following the transaction. Under the Crumb Corps ownership structure, the company later expanded its product range. In 2015 it introduced cupcakes under the Cupcakes by Design name, extending its design-led approach from cookies to another celebration-oriented baked product. In 2021, Cupcakes by Design began nationwide delivery, allowing the cupcake offering to reach customers beyond the immediate service areas of individual stores. The company was also involved in litigation in 2010. Eat'n Park sued Crumb Corps, alleging infringement of its smiley-face cookie. The available reference identifies the claim but does not establish a final judgment or settlement outcome, so no conclusion about the merits or resolution of the dispute is recorded here. Cookies by Design’s historical development therefore follows several identifiable stages: creation of the cookie-bouquet concept, expansion through franchising, renaming during California expansion, acquisition by Crumb Corps, and diversification into cupcakes and nationwide delivery. Its enduring proposition is the combination of baked food, visual design, personalization, and gifting convenience. Current detailed information about its ownership, executive team, headquarters, store count, and financial results is not established in the supplied material.
- 2021
Nationwide cupcake delivery begins
[1]Cupcakes by Design expanded its service with delivery throughout the United States.
- 2015
Cupcakes by Design launches
[1]The company began selling cupcakes under the Cupcakes by Design brand.
- 2010
Smiley-face cookie litigation
[1]Eat'n Park filed a lawsuit against Crumb Corps alleging infringement involving a smiley-face cookie.
- 2007
Acquisition by Crumb Corps
[1]Cookies by Design was sold to Crumb Corps, LLC, and Jon Rice became president and chief executive officer.
- 1987
First franchise location opens
[1]The first franchised Cookie Bouquet location opened, beginning the company’s expansion through a corporate and franchise network.
- 1983
Business founded in Plano
[1]Gwen Willhite founded the business in Plano, Texas, establishing the concept that later became associated with decorative cookie bouquets.
Business adopts the Cookies by Design name
[1]The company changed its name from Cookie Bouquet after a trademark challenge during expansion into California involving the San Jose company Cookie Florist.
Products and positioning
A gift-oriented bakery brand centered on decorative, customizable baked goods and delivery for celebrations and special occasions.
Decorative baked-goods gifts · 1983
Cookie bouquets
Cookie bouquets are the company’s signature format. Decorated cookies, and in some arrangements other baked goods, are mounted on sticks and placed in a decorative container. The arrangement is designed to resemble a flower bouquet, combining an edible product with the visual presentation of a conventional gift. Cookie bouquets are associated with celebrations, greetings, and other occasions where customization and presentation are central to the purchase.
Cookies · 1983
Decorated cookies
Decorated cookies form the underlying bakery product for the company’s gift arrangements. They are presented as visually designed baked goods rather than only as everyday packaged snacks. The available reference material supports their use in bouquets and other gift-oriented formats but does not specify a complete range of shapes, flavors, or seasonal designs.
Cupcakes · 2015
Cupcakes by Design
Cupcakes by Design is the company’s cupcake line, introduced in 2015. It extends the brand’s emphasis on decorative, occasion-based baked goods into cupcakes. Beginning in 2021, the company offered cupcake delivery nationwide in the United States. Specific flavors, formats, and assortment details are not established in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
2021
Nationwide cupcake deliveryStrategyBackground
The cupcake line had been available since 2015, but its reach was linked to the company’s local and franchised service footprint.
Action taken
The company began offering Cupcakes by Design delivery nationwide in the United States.
Aftermath
The initiative broadened the potential geographic market for the cupcake business beyond individual store locations.
2015
Launch of Cupcakes by DesignProduct launchBackground
The company sought to extend its design-led baked-goods and gifting proposition beyond cookies.
Action taken
It began selling cupcakes under the Cupcakes by Design brand.
Aftermath
Cupcakes became an additional product category, alongside the company’s established cookie offerings.
2007
Sale to Crumb CorpsM&ABackground
Cookies by Design had developed a corporate and franchised retail network before the ownership change.
Action taken
The company was sold to Crumb Corps, LLC, with Jon Rice taking over as president and chief executive officer.
Aftermath
The business continued operating under the Crumb Corps ownership structure and later expanded into cupcakes.
- Rename from Cookie Bouquet to Cookies by DesignStrategy
Background
During expansion into California, the company encountered a trademark challenge from Cookie Florist, a San Jose company that also sold similar cookie bouquets.
Action taken
The business changed its name to Cookies by Design.
Aftermath
The new name became the company’s established identity while retaining the design-oriented positioning of its cookie gifts.
Sources1 sources
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