‘We never claimed to be official’: Internet taken by storm over Sydney ‘Cookiegate’ saga
A genius marketing ploy or just a couple of hustling fans? This is ‘Cookiegate’ explained.
Over the weekend, Sydneysiders were given a chance to try the viral Crumbl Cookies – a famous cookie brand only sold in the US. Or were they?
At the one-day only pop-up event in Bondi, people waited in line for hours to get their hands on the sweet treats – which were sold for AU$17.50 per cookie – but reality quickly caught up with expectations.
In the week leading up to the pop-up, the @crumblsydney Instagram and TikTok page began advertising, and hype quickly grew.
Professionally shot videos and edited posts showcased Crumbl’s iconic packaging across Sydney with details about the event, with many left questioning its legitimacy.
Despite calling themselves ‘Crumbl Sydney’, the account was somewhat upfront about being “just fans” importing and reselling the cookies from the US.
And while some are convinced the whole situation is a marketing stunt from Crumbl Cookies US to build hype ahead of a possible Australian launch, founder Sawyer Hemsley quickly shut down the rumours.
Taking to TikTok, he confirmed the pop-up was “in no way affiliated” with the official Crumbl Cookies brand, and asked his followers to help “spread the word”.
After the event, attention on social media quickly turned sour, with attendees describing the cookies as stale and expensive. Not only was the event’s legitimacy in question, so too was the legality.
According to its website policies, Crumbl Cookies US does not condone the reselling of its cookies, and many were left wondering how the event organisers managed to get the sweet treats from the US to Australia.
@sofiaqistinee come with me to crumbl cookie sydneys pop up in bondi?? #crumbl #crumblcookies #crumblecookiereview #crumble #australia #sydney #sydneyfood #sydneyaustralia #foodie #foodreview #cookies #tastetest ♬ Espresso – On Vacation Version – Sabrina Carpenter
A spokesperson for the pop-up, Toby, told the ABC the group has faced “considerable backlash” but was quick to defend the pricing and quality of the cookies.
The @crumblsydney TikTok and Instagram pages have now been wiped clean of content, but feature a link to a Google Doc from the event organisers, addressing the “drama” surrounding the event.
“…We never claimed to be an official Crumbl store,” the document read.
“This was clearly stated in bio and our comments. Our goal was to bring the authentic Crumbl Cookies to Australia by importing the cookies directly from the USA.
“We traveled to the US to purchase the cookies and imported them with their original packaging. We did not bake them ourselves.”
The event organisers claimed they spent over AU$13,000 on making the event possible – $4,000 on flights and luggage, $6,000 on the cookies and packaging, $2,000 in duties, taxes and customs broking, over $1,000 in staffing, and additional costs for microwaves, tables, venue, and marketing.
They also claimed they followed all legal procedures, including compliance with ACCC guidelines on parallel imports, declaring the cookies as commercial goods and obtaining the necessary approvals from Australian customs.
While no legal action has been launched yet, the event organisers told the ABC they would not host anymore pop-ups due to the “negative feedback” they received.
In a statement sent to Mumbrella, Crumbl Cookies US said: “While the pop-up in Australia was not sponsored by Crumbl, we love seeing excitement for Crumbl around the world. Currently, there are Crumbl locations in all 50 states in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. We look forward to expanding to other countries in the future. Information about new international locations will be shared through our official Crumbl communication channels.”
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I’d be signing them up to run the first franchise and make the most of the noise!!