Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) sells up to 12 varieties of cookies that are known as Girl Scout cookies. The cookies are widely popular because of the great purposes behind selling them.
It has been over 100 years since Girl Scouts started selling cookies. You may be interested to know how they manufactured & marketed these different varieties of cookies over a century.
So, let’s find out where these great cookies are manufactured.
Where are Girl Scout cookies manufactured in 2024:
Girl Scout cookies are only manufactured in the United States. There are a couple of American bakeries that manufacture cookies for Girl Scouts.
As of 2022, they didn’t manufacture cookies outside of the USA. The American youth organization selected just two manufacturers to produce cookies and distribute them throughout the whole country.
GSUSA first sold homemade cookies in 1917 by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Later, they began marketing cookies produced by American bakeries to meet its demand through multiple teams.
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Are Girl Scout cookies American made?
The answer is “Yes.” Girl Scout cookies are only American-made.
In the 1920s, Girl Scouts members in different parts of the USA baked simple sugar cookies and sold them in a high school’s cafeteria as a service project.
They packaged these cookies in wax paper bags along with American-made tags. In the 1930s, the Girls Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council made a great marketing revolution by selling cookies to two leading companies.
In 1937, more than 120 Girls Scout Councils had confirmed holding cookie sales in different states of the country. Over the years, they have been selling these American-made cookies and raising billions of dollars for girls’ welfare.
Who is the manufacturer of Girl Scout cookies?
At present, two American food companies manufacture Girl Scout cookies. The companies are:
- Little Brownie Bakers (LBB)
- ABC Bakers
GSUSA licensed these companies to make cookies in 2008. LBB is a subsidiary company of an American cookie manufacturing brand “Keebler.” On the other side, Interbake Foods is the parent company of ABC Bakers.
In the very beginning, the Girl Scout team manufactured cookies on its own and sold them commercially at different events. They started licensing a few American commercial bakers to manufacture cookies after the Second World War.
In 1948, Girls Scouts licensed a total of 29 bakers to manufacture cookies. Thus they were able to serve enough cookies across the whole country and generate a huge amount of money.
Currently, there aren’t any third-party cookie manufacturers of GSUSA in other countries instead of the USA.
Why are Girl Scout cookies only sold in the USA?
Girl Scout team only sells cookies in the United States for a variety of reasons including the restrictions of export. According to the policy, they have no right to sell cookies outside of the USA.
GSUSA sells over 200 million cookies every year. They marketed cookies for a particular season that is run from January to April. They donated the leftover cookies to local food pantries or charities.
The organization sells cookies in several ways including door-to-door and temporary setup cookie booths. Girl Scouts started selling them through the Digital Cookie Mobile app in 2015.
How much money do Girl Scouts make in a box?
The Girl Scout Council sells every box of cookies between $3.00 and $10.00. From the profit margin, they keep at least $0.80 on average for a single cookie box.
The organization makes approximately $600 million annually by selling cookies. About 20 to 50 percent of the profits proceeds stay in the council for girls’ welfare.
A crispy lemon-up cookie’s price is $5.00 while a crunchy graham sandwich cookie’s price is $6.00 per box. Each council of the organization sets the price of cookies in different varieties.
Related: Where Are Benton’s Cookies Made
Is Walmart selling Girl Scout cookies?
Yes, Walmart is selling Girl Scout cookies.
We have found multiple flavors’ cookies on their e-commerce website. Walmart has listed these cookies a few years ago and been selling them as a package.
Who sold the most Girl Scout cookies this year?
An 8-year-old kid sold the most Girl Scout cookies this year. She is Lilly Bumpus, a cancer survivor.
She sold more than 32,400 boxes of cookies within a couple of months. As a result, Lilly has broken Girl Scout cookie-selling records this year. Till now, Bumpus is the highest cookie seller in the organization.
In 1985, Elizabeth Brinton had been considered the highest cookie seller who had been selling around 18,000 boxes. Later, Katie Francis broke the records by selling 18,107 boxes.
In 2017, another member of the Girl Scout team from New Jersey named Charlotte McCourt sold more than 25,000 cookie boxes, creating a new record.
Also Read: Where Are Pringles Made
Where does Girl Scout cookie money go?
The Girl Scout organization divides cookie money into several sectors with a certain percentage.
- 25 to 35 percent of profits go to the bakeries for cookie manufacturing purposes.
- 45 to 65 percent of profits go to the regional councils to cover all the costs of this program.
- 10 to 20 percent go to the local troop of the organization.
Wrap Up
Girl Scout cookies are special to the American people throughout the whole country for their great work. The organization has been running the program for more than a century due to girls’ welfare.
GSUSA gained enormous popularity worldwide for taking the great initiative.
Sources:
- https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/about-girl-scout-cookies/cookie-history.html – American-made Girls Scout cookies.
- https://marketrealist.com/p/how-much-do-girl-scouts-make-on-cookie-sales/ – Highest seller of Girl Scout cookies.