He invented a product that no one else did, and today he sells millions to companies like Starbucks and Juan Valdez.

For some, there may or may not be a reason to sit or walk into a restaurant, but the reality is the market Cookies with coffee It was largely ignored until Gonzalo Perrin discovered that need in 2008. It is the seed of Pasticino that he has with his father and a friend that has become stronger in this area. Cookies, lemon cookies, alfajores and waffles, among others.

“I was 22 years old, I studied hospitality and tourism, and I met a cafe martinez supplier who told me that they were looking for someone to make cookies with coffee. And, beyond that event, it seemed like a good market and the impetus to start a company”, says Perrin. said in a conversation with Nation About the beginning of the company.

In 2008, he started working on the oven in his home, made the first tests, and a year later he started selling to Cafe Martinez. Factory They put that in the town O’Higgins, Located in the province of Buenos Aires 1000 people.

“After two or three years of selling coffee cookies to networks of coffee shops and coffee producers, we realized we could add products. Then I met someone who knew the CEO. Starbucks And we had a meeting in 2015. We initially introduced two varieties and today we are already selling six varieties. In the case YPF, The same thing happened: we reached them through distributors or companies. “The market makes you go through a funnel,” he continued.

Today, they also count among their customers Nucha, Tostado, Juan Valdez, The Coffee Store, Lucciano’s, Le Pain Quotidien and Cabrales, among others. In terms of products, they have added to their portfolio Alfajores, almond cantuccini and stroopwaffles (A circular waffle-like cookie or waffle from the Netherlands).

“When YPF or Starbucks audits come to visit us, they don’t know how we set up a factory here. Partly the motivation of George, my father and my partner German was to set up a factory and provide employment at O’Higgins. 45-year-old non-social workers entered the plant“, Perrin promised, despite some difficulties caused by the pandemic.

According to the company’s CEO, because Covid-19 forced the closure of a second plant that opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and at one point the O’Higgins factory closed for 100 days. “During the pandemic we employed 19 people and today we are 30. Finally, we have grown, but we have Credits He said that since we have a good number of sales, it will be done without any problem.

But not all is bad news, but during quarantine They took the opportunity to follow quality standards, create two types of products they didn’t have and launch their own brand. “When all the companies closed, we came out with our brand and our packaging, and today we sell in some delicious places. We also have a web sales platform and shortbread cookies are sold in supermarkets. Our strength is making products for coffee shops, but at the same time we want to grow our own brand. completeness.

They are currently investing about US$300,000 to expand the plant and expect to bill $300 million this year.

“We’re a leader in cookies with coffee Most likely when someone drinks a coffee they consume one of our products. “Our forerunner is to prepare products for sale that do not require cooking or help companies increase their average ticket,” he concluded.