Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Gooden.
Hi Sean, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
GoodenSweet Cookies is Austin’s own nationally-known handmade gourmet cookie company. We specialize in cookies that you know well, and some you may have never heard of. All of them are supersonic delights that will thrill your senses and take you back to your fondest memories! Our cookies are made with all-natural ingredients, including real butter, premium chocolate and the freshest nuts and fruits. Every flavor is available in gluten-free, too! GoodenSweet Cookies was founded by Sean Gooden in honor of his late older brother, Anthony. Anthony and Sean are both martial artists/bakers and were talking about opening the business before Anthony’s untimely death due to a sparring accident in 2008. Because of that, Sean dedicated himself to creating a cookie company that would share love with every bite. GoodenSweet Cookies is located in Austin, Texas at 5610 N. IH35, 78751.
Located in Austin on I-35 across from Capital Plaza, GoodenSweet Cookies ships nationwide from its website goodensweetcookies.com. In town, delivery is available through DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats, EZCater and others. You can also walk in and order at the shop. If you’re traveling through the Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA), you can find our delectable delights in two stores: “Fifth & Congress” and “Taste ATX”.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely NOT been a smooth road. But, that’s not why we pursue our passions, is it? Or better stated, we know the road is fraught with potential pitfalls and dangers, yet we move forward anyway.
The biggest hurdle that presents itself at each new level we achieve is the fact that you can’t turn to someone and ask them how this cookie business thing should go. Very few people have started and run a successful cookie business. It’s a big challenge to carve the path as you also learn it. Hopefully, you’re improving your skillset along the way so that the road carving becomes easier with each pass.
That said, we are not unlike any other business in this post-pandemic world. We have supply chain and inflation adjustment issues. We have staffing and delivery issues to contend with. We are a small shop competing with much larger outfits than ours, with much larger budgets for advertising, marketing and distribution.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
They call me the Black Belt Baker. And, The Cookie Man. I am a 2nd degree Black Belt in Shaolin-Do Kung Fu and Tai Chi. I have been training with my teacher, Dr. Joseph Schaefer, for over twenty years.
It’s that same kind of love and dedication that goes into each and every cookie that comes out of GoodenSweet Cookies’ kitchen.
GoodenSweet Cookies are made with real butter, premium chocolate, cage-free eggs, aluminum-free baking powder, and the freshest locally sourced nuts and fruits.
They’re unique because they are square, and they taste is always exquisite.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We just got into a few well-known grocers in the Austin area, with our newest product, “Gooden Bites!” We ship nationwide from our website (goodensweetcookies.com). We are seeking investors.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.goodensweetcookies.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/goodensweetcookies
- Facebook: facebook.com/goodensweetcookies
- Youtube: youtube.com/goodensweetcookies
Image Credits
Personal photo by Sarah Pasley
Cookie photos by Bernard Ortiz
