Small Business Summit Center

Joshua Auerbach, Black and White Cookie Company

Business Name: The Black and White Cookie Company
Years in Business:
Industry: Food
Website/URL: http://www.blackandwhitecookies.com
Location: Binghamton, NY

[Thanks to Joshua, we're raffling off a box of his tasty cookies this week. Your chances of winning one of our giveaways will never be better, believe me. So go throw your name into the hat. — Andrew]

AB: As your business grows, you probably spend less time with the actual product, working in the kitchen. Do you miss that?

JA: Fortunately, I never have enough time in the kitchen. As my business grows, there is an ever greater need for more product stability and increased shelf-life. New natural products are always being release toward this end and that means continued testing again and again. Additionally, we are introduction new products and that keeps me in the factory as well perfecting them before they become an official offering.

AB: Running a small business for the first time means lots of new challenges. What part of entrepreneurship have you worked hardest on?

JA: For this company, branding has been a primary concern. One can have the best product on earth, but if people don't know it exist, it won't sell. So, brand name recogniction is crucial and has been the major focus of the
company.

AB: What would you do if you weren't in business for yourself?

JA: Honestly, if I could survive making music or art, I'd be doing that.

Business BioThe Black and White Cookie Company is a cookie manufacturer specializing
in its namesake, a New York City tradition, the Black and White Cookie.
Adding a tasty touch to a timeless classic, The Black and White Cookie
Company relies on a recipe handed down from a German baker who brought the
cookie with him to the States some 80 years ago. We then spent 3 years on
that recipe and made it even better; crisp around the edges, soft in the
middle with that perfect hint of lemon. They are truly the best Black and
White Cookies on earth!

The addition of a full range of exotic flavor combinations, shapes,
decorative varieties and edible full-color custom images gives the
traditional Black and White Cookie a modern makeover perfectly suited for
corporate use as well as direct retail, weddings, religious occasions,
birthdays and more.

The Black and White Cookie Company was conceptualized over 6 years ago.
Joshua Auerbach, a long time fan of the Black and White, was struck by the
conspicuous absence of the treat outside his home state of New York. He
registered blackandwhitecookies.com in February 2001, a temporary site was
launched with no marketing or advertising. Proof of concept was rapid as
the site received email after email from ex-New Yorkers, tourists, and
others wanting to purchase the cookies.