Triple Crown Winner
Flashback to 2020, when the world needed sweetness more than ever. That was the first year Crumbl graced the UV50 list, as a Startup to Watch. At that time, the company reported 114 storefronts. Now, that number is well above 1,100 — and the average store revenue hit $1.4 million this year. With the game-changing rotating menu model implemented in 2018, Crumbl quickly became a dessert dynamo — landing the business on UV50’s Fastest-Growing Companies list in 2021, 2022 and 2023. It’s now 2025, the cookies and other treats are even more popular (shout-out to collabs with Benson Boone and the Kardashians) and Crumbl is clearly an Economic Engine of Utah Valley and beyond. Welcome to the pink box phenomenon.
SAWYER Our customers truly feel like they’re part of Crumbl. I don’t think any other brand has such a loyal base. We listen to their ideas and make changes where we can. If we hear that they want something we’re not offering, we’ll respond and take action.
Jason One of my favorite things is walking by our mail room. We get tons of letters — people invite us to weddings, graduations, everything. We’ve hired people that literally respond to the mail. A lot of companies focus on new customers, but we build loyalty by engaging with the ones already reaching out.
Crumbl is also always about change. We’ve got a rotating menu, and we’re constantly innovating. In some ways, it still feels like we’re making changes to the “rocket ship.” But a lot of our systems — supply chain, marketing, technology — have really started to solidify.
Sawyer We’re are also learning even more about our customer than we knew a few years ago. We do a lot of social listening and we have over 100 testing locations. Our customers are passionate about baked goods, and it’s been fun to grow with them — and to adapt and innovate so we can keep things exciting.
Jason We marry those insights with back-end data. From the beginning — whether it was milk chocolate chip versus semi-sweet, which is still a debate — we’ve tested everything with customers. That has been key to our success.
We were born in a digital world, so we have a lot of people purchasing online, but we’ve built a lot of technology that brings people into the store. We wanted people to see the full experience of making fresh cookies. Everyone who’s been to Crumbl knows there’s an amazing smell.
Sawyer We also have a world-class technology team and build everything in house. People often say we’re the “Apple Store of desserts,” because we have our kiosks and a simple flow of checkout. We recently launched a “secret menu” where stores can select a secret menu item, and people can go seek out these different desserts around the nation. Stores are bringing back cookies that haven’t been on the menu for years, and it’s been so exciting for everyone.
Jason When it comes to celebrity collabs, some have actually come to us. It was a pinch-me moment when the Kardashians were eating our cookies and posting about it on social media. They saw the product, loved it, and wanted to share it. Those moments have kicked off a lot of these relationships.
Sawyer We also look at who’s up-and-coming. With Benson Boone, we launched the Moonbeam Ice Cream cookie right before his album dropped. It went viral and was so fun to hit that pop culture moment at the right time — people were singing and acting out the lyrics in stores. Benson Boone also has a tie to Utah, so he popped over one day and we developed the cookie together with him. To create something that everyone was talking about and singing the lyrics to was such a cool experience.
Jason I think celebrities like working with our brand because of the timeline it takes to actually execute. Because our company rotates the flavors every week, we’re agile, even though we’re a large company. They love working with our creative team because they know we can think of an idea that’s out there.
Sawyer When we come out with something that’s never been done before, it causes curiosity. People want to be involved, like being the first to review a dessert online. People want to be a part of what Crumbl is creating.
Jason If you’re going to think, you might as well think bold. To be honest, there have been a lot of naysayers along the way: “It’s not going to work in Canada or internationally, or it won’t work in warm climates.” When we’re creating things, we’re a bunch of people that have a lot of big ideas. If you go for the bold and the big, you can pull it off. I think a lot of businesses today are sitting in a place where, if they thought bolder, they’d take their business to bigger heights.
“There will be moments that feel like things are falling apart, and there will be moments where things are amazing — and neither of those will last forever. Learn to enjoy the experiences, the team, and don’t forget to celebrate.”