Meet the team!

Photo: Store Manager Cynthia (left) and Retail Assistant Sarah (right) pictured in front of our main gift shop in Byron Bay. Mural artwork by local Byron graffiti artist Teazer.

From Byron with love...

With so many cookie lovers supporting our online store over the last couple of months, we wanted to introduce the people who make it all possible.

Every order placed online gets carefully picked and packed by Cynthia and her team. Not only does Cynthia (left) handles online orders, but she also looks after our gift shops located in Byron. We sat down with Cynthia for a coffee (and a cookie!).

How long have you been working for the Byron Bay Cookie Company?

It’s coming up to 18 years! When I first joined I was in the Bakehouse mixing and forming the cookies, which at the time was all by hand. We had to scoop out the dough into big stainless steel bowls. Then it would go to the forming station. Then to the packing department where all cookies were hand wrapped. The first flow-wrapper was brought in early 2000’s when Qantas came on board as a customer. That’s when I became the shift supervisor.

When did you start working in the gift shop?

When the first gift shop opened (around 2005), I put my hand up. I didn’t have any retail experience but got trained and it happened to be a good move for me. The first shop opened at the Ozigo [petrol station], where it still is today. Internet orders started a few years later (around 2007). Then the Jonson St store opened in the centre of town, in October 2013.

What do you enjoy the most about your work?

The customer interaction. Some customers are so excited to be coming into the shop. Some of them have travelled a long way to visit Byron Bay and visit the shop. People are happy to have found us. We get a mix of locals and tourists from all around Australia and overseas. Jonson St tends to get more overseas shoppers.

What have the last couple of months been like?

It was sad to see both shops close and the town go so quiet. Byron became a ghost town, with many businesses struggling. Online sales more than doubled over the period which was good, and it meant I had to get extra help from the factory. We get customer reviews on the website which are overly positive and it’s always good to read what people have to say about our products and the service we provide. It’s very rewarding helping customers with their online orders, helping them navigate around the website, helping them place an order. Customers are grateful which is lovely.

What is your favourite cookie flavour?

Rocky Road was my favourite but now it would have to be the Vegan Cookie.

Thanks for the chat Cynthia!

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