by Carlee Malone ’20

With all this newfound spare time that quarantine has brought, many have been driven to new hobbies and creative outlets in order to take advantage of an otherwise unfortunate circumstance. For Reagan Yates (‘19) and brother Tommy Yates, a Sherwood junior, their version of a creative outlet combined an entrepreneurial spirit and a popular quarantine hobby: baking. Together, they founded an Olney-based cookie delivery business called Olney Cookie that delivers freshly-made cookies to customers’ doorsteps straight from the oven.

Inspiration for this sweet new venture was pulled from Reagan’s new life as a college student at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, where she encountered an ingenious idea.

“In Winchester, there is a similar business called Winchester Cookie,” Reagan said. “We contacted the owner, who is currently a senior in high school, and he gave us some great advice on how to start something similar. And since I’ve always loved baking, things started to fall into place.”

Although starting your first business before even hitting your 20s may seem like an unobtainable feat, by collaborating as a brother-sister duo, the work is much more manageable.

“I develop the recipes, handle all the baking, and I take care of our social media,” Reagan said. “My brother handles the communications: orders go to his phone, he handles timing for delivery, payment, etc., and he makes all the deliveries.”

But how does it work? Well, the structure is pretty linear. The process begins, of course, with an order from their menu: their selection presents customers with options such as the classic chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, or oatmeal chocolate cookies. After texting the number on the Olney Cookie page and placing the order, the siblings get to baking! Here, it’s clear what really pulls these cookies apart from the average store-bought treat: a half cup of dough is used to make just one cookie, as opposed to the typical tablespoon or two of dough, and they are brought to customers fresh and still warm from the oven!

“[Tommy] takes them out for delivery and leaves them right on the doorstep of the person who ordered. It is a no-contact delivery due to the pandemic,” Reagan shared. “After he puts them on the doorstep, he immediately sends a text to the person who ordered to let them know that they have been delivered!”

For them, it’s more than just a money-making enterprise or a way to pass the time during quarantine. Starting a venture on this scale is immensely gratifying, and of course, is a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn a lot.

“Not only do I enjoy baking, but we love when we receive great feedback on the cookies. It’s great to see messages from people who’ve enjoyed,” Reagan said. “And despite it being a lot of work, it’s also really fun.”