Who Owns Crumbl Cookies
Crumbl Cookies is a privately held company founded by cousins Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan in 2017 in Logan, Utah. The brand is best known for its rotating weekly menu and large, thick cookies sold primarily through a franchise model. As of the latest public reporting, Hemsley serves as CEO and McGowan as COO, and the company does not have a traditional outside venture capital backer in the same way as many high-growth startups. The company has not disclosed an exact ownership split, but Hemsley and McGowan remain the central figures behind the brand and its day-to-day strategy read more about the founders and early strategy.
Crumbl operates as a private company, meaning its financial statements are not publicly filed with the SEC and detailed ownership stakes are not available through standard disclosure documents. This structure allows the founders to retain control over menu decisions, branding, and franchise terms without public shareholder pressure. The company's rapid expansion has been driven by franchisee fees, royalties, and high-volume store openings rather than external equity rounds, which keeps the ownership concentrated among the founding team and a small group of early partners learn more about Crumbl's franchise-driven growth.
Crumbl Cookies Franchise Model and Ownership Structure
The Crumbl franchise model requires franchisees to pay an initial franchise fee, ongoing royalties, and to adhere to strict branding and operational guidelines. Franchisees own individual store locations and bear the costs of real estate, buildout, staffing, and local marketing, while Crumbl corporate controls the core recipe, packaging, and national marketing campaigns. This structure means that the overall brand is owned and managed by Hemsley, McGowan, and the private company entity, while individual stores are owned by thousands of local franchise operators across the United States and international markets explore how the franchise model works in practice.
Key Franchise Requirements
Franchise agreements typically include multi-unit development goals, approved suppliers for ingredients and packaging, and participation in the weekly cookie rotation that has become the brand's signature. Crumbl corporate also maintains control over digital ordering systems, social media campaigns, and the proprietary cookie recipes that differentiate the brand from traditional bakeries. These centralized controls ensure that franchisees operate under a consistent Crumbl experience, even though each location is independently owned and funded by the individual franchisee read more about franchise requirements and operations.
Growth, Market Position, and Ownership Implications
Crumbl has grown from a single Utah bakery to hundreds of locations nationwide, with a strong presence in suburban and urban markets where foot traffic and social media visibility drive sales. The company's ownership structure has allowed it to scale quickly by leveraging franchise capital rather than taking on debt or outside investors, which keeps the balance sheet simpler and