Treat Yourself

Carolina Cookie Company

1010 Arnold St. www.carolinacookie.com

Like a snowflake, each cookie that comes out of the Carolina Cookie Company kitchen is a little bit special.

“They look like grandma made them,” said Chris Belton, vice president of the company. “They’re not like Oreos or vanilla wafers — they’re not perfect.”

That’s what has made Carolina Cookie a go-to spot for edible gifts in the Triad for more than 30 years.

Anyone can walk into the Arnold Street baking facility and buy a dozen cookies, but what Carolina Cookie really specializes in is personalized gifts.

Corporate Sales Manager Colleen Biedney said tins customized with company logos are a top seller for the holiday season.

Year round, realtors give tins bearing their image to homebuyers and car dealerships send new car owners off on a sweet note. Biedney said some Carolina Cookie customers have become known for their cookie gifts.

“If you put your branding on the tin, it’s not a gift from Carolina Cookie, it’s a gift from your business,” she said. “It’s a way to build your brand. It’s a way to retain your customers. It’s a way to get referrals in the door.”

Carolina Cookie was recently purchased by Pennsylvania-based baked goods supplier Byrnes & Kiefer Co.

Belton and Biedney said the sale hasn’t changed their beloved cookie recipe, but it is allowing them to develop new items.

“We have a new flavor that we pushed out in the early spring, blueberry lemon, which has been very popular,” Belton said. “We’re getting ready to test some fall flavors: apple cider and chunky chocolate pistachio and different ones like that.”