ST. LOUIS — Some of the hottest cookies at the Soulard Farmers Market can now be found at another St. Louis institution. Chocolate Girls Cookies are being sold inside Gus’ Pretzels.
The cookies have been flying off the stands at the weekend markets — and for good reason. They’re fresh, made-from-scratch cookies with flavors like chocolate chip and oatmeal caramel. The family-owned small business is run by two sisters who are the CEOs.
Chocolate Girls Cookies has all the ingredients of a great product — and story — but the best part?
Owners Nadia and Maya are still in elementary school.
“Yeah, I'm in fourth grade,” said Nadia.
“I’m in second grade,” added Maya.
The pint-sized entrepreneurs said they make great business partners because they’re sisters.
“We get along and we work together and we like to build things, that's the most of the time,” Maya told Abby Llorico on a recent episode of the Abby Eats St. Louis podcast.
They might be young, but they’re already getting real-world lessons in running a business, saving for college and even investing.
“They have their own brokerage account,” the girls’ dad, Mike, said. “So, we're looking into what to invest in and stuff like that.”
Both girls want to do a little bit of everything when they grow up.
“I want to be an artist,” said Nadia, who designed the logo for Chocolate Girls Cookies. “I still want to do the business, probably. I want to do a pet business.”
“I want to be part of this cookie business. I want to be a police, I want to be a ballet teacher — I want to be everything!” exclaimed Maya.
And they’re already getting an early start on learning what some of life’s most important ingredients are. When asked why people love their cookies so much, Maya spoke from the heart.
“Well, because we made them with love. That's why we're good. And because they taste delicious.”
Chocolate Girls Cookies are available Saturdays at the Soulard Farmers Market and inside Gus’ Pretzel Shop on weekends only.
You can hear more of this story on the Abby Eats St. Louis episode titled "Small CEOs and big changes" The Abby Eats podcast is available for free on all major podcast platforms.
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About the Abby Eats St. Louis podcast:
The Abby Eats St. Louis podcast tells the story of St. Louis based on what’s on the table. From the hunger for local ingredients, to the booming brunch scene and the craving for creative cocktails, Abby dives into the nitty-gritty of how St. Louis grew to become the foodie town that it is.
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