Many people may not realize that a Willy Wonka-like nationwide baking giant – whose tasty treats you and everyone you know have eaten maybe without realizing it – is actually headquartered right here on Long Island, New York.
Previously known as the Silver Lake Bakery, the Islip baking facility was purchased eight years ago by Cookies United and rebranded as such. Cookies United had been successfully involved in the muffin game and were looking to expand into cookies; to that end, once the purchase was complete, they proceeded to invest millions of dollars in renovating the former Silver Lake facility and hiring more people.
Michael Strauss, Director of Marketing for Cookies United had already been a part of the Silver Lake Bakery family, and made the transition when the new company took over. Today, the Islip facility comes in at 140,000 square-feet in size, and features between six and ten different lines that make various products that are shipped to major retailers all across the country.
Cookies United has essentially three specific lines of business; the first is wholesale baking, with Strauss pointing out the company's reputation is that of being the “Baker's Baker.”
“We sell a lot of cookies in ‘bulk’ to supermarkets around the country, which means they take the case of cookies and put them in their showcases, and people come in and ask for a pound of this or a half a pound of that,” he said. “People assume that the bakers at the supermarket make the cookies there but, in reality, Cookies United is the baker behind these bakeries.”
The second part of the business, Strauss said, is an extraordinarily festive one – the company is a prolific manufacturer of gingerbread house kits.
“We are actually the largest domestic manufacturer of gingerbread house kits, and we provide them to almost every retailer that you can think of,” he said. “We do it with our partnerships with a number of licenses such as Elf on the Shelf, Minions, Trolls, and a variety of other well-known franchises.”
And the last, but certainly not least, aspect of Cookies United’s trifecta of treats is comprised of branded snacks, where the company is notably known as the creator of the popular CakeBites rainbow cookies that are found in grab-and-go packages in convenience stores, delis, and major retailers all over the United States.
“We've been making rainbow cookies for 50-plus years and they've always been one of our most popular products so we decided to turn it into a national offering by launching the CakeBites brand, which is now available in 20-plus flavors at Walmart, Costco, Publix, Kroger and many other retailers nationwide.”
Strauss noted that the employees of Cookies United take pride in being a national manufacturer based in New York, a region with the richest history of top bakers and bakery treats. “Despite this, manufacturing in Long Island can be a challenge but we have successfully done it for a number of years,” he said. “When Long Islanders find out that such a facility exists here and that we make such good products, they naturally want to support one of their own.”
As for the aforementioned challenges associated with manufacturing on Long Island, some of the hurdles that Cookies United is forced to contend with revolve around the difficulties in shipping a nationally-distributed product from the confines of Suffolk County.
“We mostly ship our product by truck, and it can be very costly to ship from Long Island because it's essentially an ending point,” Strauss said. “Many major bakeries are located in the middle of the country because it's cheaper and easier to ship from there, so distribution is definitely a challenge for us.”
“Other issues revolve around the fact that utilities on Long Island can be very expensive, and labor in New York can also be pricey compared to bakeries in other regions of the country. But again, we're still able to compete with them on a national level, which is why it's been so critical for us to continue to invest in our equipment and our team.” Despite the challenges, the company is committed to continuing the long tradition of manufacturing the best baked items in the country out of their facilities in New York.
While Cookies United's Islip facility is indeed large and capable of a great deal of output, the popularity of the company's products has grown to the degree that they have taken steps to increase their capacity. To that end, they've invested in technology to allow them to produce more than they ever thought was possible.
“We've invested in robotic equipment and new baking lines and all kinds of things that allow us to continue to compete on a national level, all while manufacturing on Long Island,” Strauss said.
At the same time, Cookies United employs several hundred unionized workers in their facility and maintains an excellent relationship with their associates. Testament to the fair and equitable working conditions is the fact that many of the people working at the company are long-tenured and have been with Cookies United for more than ten years.
Strauss said that a lot of people don't often realize the degree to which manufacturing takes place on Long Island, and the fact that Cookies United is a vital part of that community is a never-ending source of satisfaction for the company’s employees.
“Our team is very proud of our facility here,” he said. “We are privately audited through a company called SQF, and we maintain the highest levels of food safety. You can't ship to companies like Walmart and Publix if you don't have these third-party credentials, so our facilities follow the most stringent food manufacturing protocols. The fact that it's all done here on Long Island is fantastic.”
For those who want to make the journey and get Cookies United’s mouthwatering products at their absolute freshest, the company's Islip facility has a retail store as well, where people can get all manner of baked goodness at greatly discounted prices.
“I live in Commack, and people call me ‘The Cookie Man’” he added. “It's really fun to be able to say that we live, produce, manufacture and ship from Long Island. On the back of every package, it says ‘manufactured in Islip, New York,’ and that's something we take a lot of pride in.”
To find out more, please visit https://cookiesunited.com, https://bakersbaker.com, https://www.cakebites.com, and https://thecookiejar.com.