When reaching for sweet baked items like cookies, consumers frequently opt for a blend of the traditional, and the unexpected. Bell’s Cookies offers a notable blend of both—in addition to tried-and-true varieties like Chocolate Chunk, they also deliver intriguing cookies like Columbian Corn, Pistachio Citrus, and Chocolate Sesame Halva.

This blend of familiar and novel flavors has helped the company (created by husband-wife team Tomas and Brooke Perez) connect with consumers around the world. To learn more, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery spoke with co-founder and CEO Tomas.

Jenni Spinner: Could you please share a little bit about the early days before Bell’s Cookies was founded? Let’s start with Brooke’s CIA training and move to Colombia, how she and Tomas met in Bogotá, the café they founded, and their return to the States.

Tomas Perez: Brooke had just completed her studies at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) when she moved to Bogotá to work with a large café company. At the same time, I was launching my coffee business. Fate brought us together, and when Brooke’s contract ended after a year, we teamed up to open a coffee shop on Colombia's beautiful coast. It was the perfect blend of passion and partnership—Brooke’s culinary expertise and my entrepreneurial spirit.

JS: You had a booming business with Table Catering—could you please talk about how the pandemic dampened that (a problem many food entrepreneurs faced), and how cookies helped keep things going?

TP: When 2020 hit, the world paused, and so did events. Weddings and gatherings shrank or vanished, leaving Table Catering in uncharted waters. But we had a commercial kitchen, and an idea started baking—literally! We began making cookies to ship to friends and family, even delivering locally ourselves. Before long, we opened a walk-up window and launched an e-commerce site. What started as a pivot became a sweet new chapter.

JS: Then, how did you pivot to founding Bell’s Cookie Co.?

TP: Bell’s Cookie Co. was born out of a desire to bring joy in uncertain times. During the pandemic, cookies became a heartfelt gift—something people could send to loved ones as a way to connect and comfort. It felt like the right move for us, and it’s been a joy to see cookies spread happiness ever since.

JS: Please tell us about what makes the company, and your cookies, special. Feel free to talk about anything from the fun, creative flavors; the high-quality ingredients; your business model; and anything else you feel worth mentioning.

TP: At Bell’s Cookie Co., authenticity is at our core. We believe joy can be baked into every cookie, and our creative flavors reflect that philosophy. We’re always experimenting, ensuring our cookies are as imaginative as they are delicious. Starting as a retail store, we’ve grown into wholesale and even crossed continents with a store in Madrid. We’re passionate about using the highest-quality ingredients, and our bright, playful branding captures the happiness our cookies bring. It’s all about spreading joy, one bite at a time.

JS: Another fun and fascinating aspect of your company is the name and its inspiration—could you please tell us about Isabella?

TP: Isabella, our daughter, was just 10 months old when we started Bell’s Cookies. Now five, she lovingly refers to it as "my cookie shop." The name was a natural choice—our little Bell was growing up in a home filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies. Naming the business after her felt like the perfect tribute to the warmth and love we associate with cookies and family.

JS: Then, please tell us about your recent growth, expansion into Spain, and what you might have planned for the future.

TP: In 2023, we opened a store in Madrid’s vibrant Salamanca district, marking a major milestone for Bell’s Cookie Co. This expansion into Europe also paved the way for partnerships with duty-free shops, placing our cookies in over 60 airports across 30 countries, spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The Madrid store serves as an anchor for our brand in the region, and this international presence inspires us to get even more creative with our flavors. The future? More innovation, more joy, and more cookies reaching even more corners of the world.

JS: What do you most enjoy about running Bell’s Cookies?

TP: The best part of running Bell’s Cookies? Cookies are universal—they bring joy to everyone, whether you’re two or eighty-two. There’s no limit to where we can go or who we can reach. Every cookie we sell carries a little piece of happiness, and there’s nothing more rewarding than sharing that with the world.

Related: Bell's Cookies reveals Chocolate Sesame Halva treat