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TO: When you first started, you were working out of a small booth. Now you have three permanent buildings and are selling about 1 million cookies each day. Is there a moment when you realized how successful Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar would become?

MRO: The growth grew on us. We had no idea that our business would take off when we first started. And we’re still in awe of how far we’ve come from the 9-by-11-foot booth we started with.

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TO: Speaking of size, the Minnesota State Fair is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance. What challenges does that present?

MRO: The most challenging part is trying to keep up with our growth. Whether it’s within the confines of our buildings or recruiting new employees, there’s always a new challenge to tackle.

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TO: On the flip side, what’s the most rewarding part of the business?

MRO: The staff and the customers! We have employees that come back year after year, and it’s like a reunion every year at the fair. And I love seeing the smiles on our customers’ faces when they’re handed an overflowing cone or pail of cookies. It’s the best!

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TO: Ah, yes, it’s important to note that the cookies come in two sizes, a cone or a gallon pail, both overflowing. Whose idea was that and what was the thought process behind it?

MRO: Our wonderful crew helped come up with the ideas for the cone and the pail. The cone came first and the thought process behind it was to make it portable and to use it as a vehicle for marketing since the cookies are visible. As customers began asking for larger portions, the pail came along several years later. We adopted the same concept behind the cone and decided to overflow the pail with cookies.

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TO: What do you the other 353 days of the year when you’re not at the fair? A lot of work must go into preparing for those 12 days.

MRO: That’s exactly right, there is definitely a lot of work. In fact, it has become pretty much a year-round operation. Post fair, there are weeks of clean up. Then we work on taking inventory so we can place orders for supplies for the following year. We also recently launched our frozen cookie dough nationwide, which is now available in most Target stores. Then in February, we start working on staffing. In March, we start conducting meetings with our managers. We also sell cookies at various events on the fairgrounds throughout the summer, which leads us back to the Minnesota State Fair.

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TO: How does it feel to know how important your cookies are to the customers? A lot of people spend those days, almost all year, looking forward to these cookies! 

MRO: We’re very humbled, but also very thrilled.