Strong brands and desserts – The Crumbl cookie saga shows people are willing to pay big dollars for both, writes Annabelle Cloros
If you haven’t heard of the Crumbl cookie Sydney saga, here is a little background. A TikTok account using the handle crumblcookiesyd began posting about a pop-up store in Bondi. But all was not what it seemed. The clincher? The people behind the account weren’t associated with the US cookie brand at all. A group of self-proclaimed “Crumbl fans”, aka everyday Australians, flew to Hawaii to purchase $6,000 worth of Crumbl cookies and brought them back in their suitcases, where they were sold days at a trophy store with obscured windows.
Sydneysiders lined up around the block to purchase the cookies, unbeknownst to the fact they had been sitting in suitcases for many, many hours. What’s more, the cookies were priced at $17.50, which people were more than happy to fork out for a taste of Crumbl.
When news broke about the pop-up’s unofficial status, the organisers claimed they “did not use trademarks” and that parallel imports are legal in Australia, despite the prevalence of Crumbl’s signature pink colour and use of branding material at the pop-up and on social media.
The story went viral on social media, with many feeling slighted by the pop-up, which is more than understandable. Fortunately for the organisers of the faux event, Crumbl confirmed it would not take legal action. In fact, there was a silver lining for the brand, which was able to see the huge demand for its products Down Under. Now, Crumbl has confirmed it will be bringing its cookies to Australia – and this time, it’s legit.
If this saga has proven anything, it’s the reality that branding is king and the appetite for desserts has a high dollar value. Hospitality will keep you posted on the details of Crumbl’s Australian debut so you can get your fix of the original.
