Kooky Cookies fills sweet need
Margarita McClure, already owner of an international cloth diaper business, Blueberry Diapers, and a part-time weightloss coach, noticed at the start of the pandemic that her weight loss clientele began “ghosting” her.
“It was a stressful time, and I know people were eating a lot,” she said. “But I also knew they were eating a lot of crap. So, I thought, ‘Hey, I can make delicious crap, they might as well pay me instead of Nabisco.’”
The idea of a cookie business had been germinating in McClure’s background for some time. She already was a prolific sideline baker, having learned how to bake from her mother growing up in the Philippines, then honing her skills in culinary school in San Francisco.
“My mom taught me the basics but I have always done my own recipe experiments,” she said. McClure had already made an informal name for herself for frequently baking cookies to share wherever she went, a talent her daughter, Isabella, also picked up.
It was only natural that once the idea of a cookie business was decided, she would include and involve her children in the business, even letting them name it.
“I wanted a name the kids could relate with,” she said. “They liked ‘Kooky.’”
She also thought it would be a great time to show all four of her children (with husband and biz partner Casey McClure) how to start a business from the bottom up, and she involved them in the process.
“The kids were all home from school lock-downs, and they could learn and watch how businesses are grown,” she added.
Kooky Cookies’ first specialty was a stuffed cookie, which has since expanded to a dozen different flavors.
“They look just like a normal, really thick cookie, but when you bite into it there is a nice surprise with a filling of marshmallows, peanut butter or caramel, for example,” McClure said.
She took them everywhere she had previously been giving away cookies, and her customer base didn’t blink.
“They already knew me and started buying them, so in the beginning it was mainly word of mouth.”
Working with Business Networking International also was an inroad to more corporate clients, and she also began setting up at Farmer’s Market and outdoor festival settings.
Surprisingly, what has really taken off about Kooky Cookies has been corporate sales through the company website.
“Most people buy from us and send our cookies as gifts — about 90 percent are sent out.”
She worked on attractive packaging and can brand the cookies with any provided company logo.
Now, Kooky Cookies has both stuffed cookies (salted caramel, S’mores, Nutella, lemon blueberry, rocky road, PB&J, Caramel Cookies & Cream and Apple Pie) and drop cookie flavors (Chocolate Chunk, White Chocolate, Peanut Butter Oatmeal, Triple Chocolate, Oatmeal Raisin, Strawberry Lemonade and Frosted Lemon Drop), along with gluten- and dairy-free versions of many of the company’s staples.
“It’s a wonderful feeling and so special to be able to offer cookies to some people who have not been able to enjoy cookies in years because of their allergies,” McClure said.
Earlier this year, Farragut resident and McClure’s workout partner, Pricilla Deets, joined the team as part owner and the only other baker at the company’s commercial kitchen just off Lovell Road.
McClure said she will definitely add more employees in the future as the business continues to grow.
Kooky Cookies bring joy to the customers through corporate gifts, friends and family gifts or a personal order.
“My hope one day is that we have an actual retail store in Farragut,” McClure said.
For more information, visit www.kookycookie.com.
