SEYMOUR — Laura Jo Stahl is known for two things in Jackson County: her work with children and her beloved 50-year-old cookie recipe.
“I would always see people asking my mom, people that she didn’t even know, if she would make cookies for them for special occasions and so forth,” said Jason Stahl, son of Laura Jo. “So, for about two decades, I had this in my mind that, you know, I should start a business with this.”
A year ago, Stahl opened Laura Jo’s Cookies for Kids, naming it after his mother, who was a teacher for 40 years, and her “undying legacy with children.”
Laura Jo’s Cookies donates 25% to 50% of its sales to local non-profits. While the company started as a way to honor Laura Jo’s work with children, it now includes the option to give to nonprofits in two other categories besides children — pets and recovery. Stahl said that recovery includes sobriety and mental wellness.
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He added that the company has a new “heroes” category that includes first responders, veterans and soldiers.
“We don’t have any hero nonprofits yet,” he said. “We’ve put it out there but have not had any sign up yet. … We are always looking for eager nonprofits.”
There are many different designs of cookies on the site, but all are shortbread sugar cookies with buttercream icing made from Laura Jo’s recipe. After making a cookie order, customers choose which nonprofit fundraiser will benefit from their sale. The company has more than 70 different nonprofits to choose from.
Stahl said that, originally, the company gave 50% of its sales to the selected nonprofits, but had to adjust the number down to 25% due to the impact of COVID-19. Every month, the company will select at least one featured nonprofit that, when selected by a customer, will receive 50% of the sales.
“The lockdown and the COVID, that disrupted our supply chain heavily, which is why we had to make some of the changes that we made, just so that we could continue to go,” Stahl said. “That really, really messed a lot of things up. We did have a lot of sales during that time period, though, because people were not able to get out and so forth. So they were able to ship cookies for any occasion across the country — graduations that people missed, healthcare frontline workers. We were sending tons of cookies to hospitals.”
In just under a year, the business has raised $60,000 for children and pets in the Jackson and Bartholomew County markets.
“We have now created ‘donation contracts’ so that larger corporations can get the tax write-offs for purchases,” Stahl said. “They sign a contract that they agree to pay their selected nonprofit 25% of the sale. We then turn around and discount their purchase the 25%.”
Stahl said that the company ships nationwide and delivers to Columbus, Seymour and Brownstown. While the company is mostly online and has no retail storefront, individual cookies can be bought for $2.50 at the local farmers’ market and Columbus Parks and Recreation concession stands.
“Our pricing is anywhere between $24 to $30 a dozen, which puts us cheaper than the top four e-commerce cookie businesses in the nation,” Stahl said. The company also sells sample bags for $8.
Stahl said that Laura Jo’s Cookies for Kids also does catering for events.
“So, for instance, if the Bartholomew County Humane Society was having a huge event, and they called us and asked us to come out and set a tent up and sell cookies, we would do that, and 25% would go back to them,” he explained.
Stahl said that the company plans to franchise and add retail stores in a future, though he added that expansion probably won’t happen for a few years.
“I’m excited about the future,” he said. “We’re very grateful and very thankful to all the people that are supporting us. We’ve been very blessed and very fortunate.”
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More information about the company and its nonprofit fundraisers can be found at https://laurajoscookiesforkids.com/.
The company’s nonprofits include the following Bartholomew County organizations:
- Bartholomew County Humane Society
- Columbus Fireman Cheer Fund
- Columbus Hawks
- Columbus North Gridiron Club
- Columbus Power Elite All-Stars Cheerleading
- Columbus Signature Academy Lincoln Elementary Parent Teacher Organization
- Foundation For Youth
- Family Service, Inc.
- Toys For Tots for Bartholomew County and Jennings County
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Cookies can be ordered online at https://laurajoscookiesforkids.com/. During checkout, customers are required to select which nonprofit fundraiser will receive a portion of the sale.
Individual cookies can be bought at the Columbus Farmer’s Market or at Columbus Parks and Recreation Concession stands for $2.50. Stahl said that each week, the company chooses a different nonprofit to receive 25% of its Saturday sales.
The selected nonprofit is typically announced on the company’s Facebook page.
The Columbus Farmer’s Market is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 123 Washington St. behind Columbus City Hall.
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For more photos, see therepublic.com.
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