Bondi biscuit lovers queued for an hour for a cult cookie. They were left with a sour taste
Sydney locals and TikTok influencers who queued for up to an hour for a cult cookie brand are outraged after the event was revealed to be a fan-run pop-up with days-old cookies imported from the US and sold for $17.50 a pop.
After weeks of marketing the “exclusive” one-day North Bondi event featuring US-based Crumbl Cookies, customers hoping to get their hands on a freshly baked, gooey treat were puzzled to find the boxes were being sold not from a bakery, but from the front of a trophy shop beside a petrol station on Old South Head Road.
The cookies were imported by “fans”. Credit: TikTok
Five cookies could be bought for $75 or for $17.50 each, a significant mark-up from the $6.49 they sell for in the US.
The organisers used the TikTok handle @CrumblSydney and made several videos in the lead-up to Sunday’s pop-up, claiming “Crumbl is landing in Australia”, using real videos from the official Crumbl Cookies account.
The New York Times labelled Crumbl the “fastest growing dessert chain in the United States” thanks to their highly Instagrammable look and “plump, doughy, intensely sweet” flavour.
Despite appearances, the North Bondi pop-up was in no way affiliated with the company. Instead, organisers flew to the US, bought the cookies fresh, and imported them to Australia to resell.
People queued for up to an hour. Credit: TikTok
“Not endorsed by Crumbl, just fans importing,” their TikTok bio says.
In a video posted on Tuesday, the organisers said they had flown to Hawaii and secured the cookies. The pop-up was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, but flight delays were blamed for a schedule change and the cookies weren’t sold in Sydney until Sunday.
Influencer Sofia Qistine was one of the throng battling for a cookie, but she was less than impressed by the quality offered.
“What’s the moral of the story here? Crumbl Cookie isn’t all that, spend your $17 somewhere else,” she said.
Another influencer, Elle Salagaras, said she “couldn’t believe” she waited an hour for the cookies.
The organisers used real videos from the official Crumbl account. Credit: TikTok
“I didn’t do my research,” she said on TikTok.
In a statement posted to their TikTok account, the organisers of the event said they were just “fans” who brought the cookies into Australia as a parallel import, a process that allows businesses to sell products without the permission of the manufacturer.
“This event was never about profit. We aimed to bring the cookies to Crumbl fans,” the statement said.
The organisers, who have remained anonymous throughout the controversy, said they spent $4000 on flights and luggage, $6000 on the 840 cookies and packaging, and $2000 in duties, taxes and customs fees.
They denied using the Crumbl trademarks in their videos, despite using video content directly from the company’s official account and the Crumbl logo in posters at the event.
They also denied the cookies were stale.
“Crumbl cookies should be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, or refrigerated for up to seven days. We kept them to these requirements. Some were warmed to enhance their texture, which is what Crumbl does as well,” the statement said.
“While most customers enjoyed the cookies, a couple of influencers felt they didn’t meet expectations. We apologise that they don’t live up to expectations however they are just cookies at the end of the day.”
In response to follow-up questions from the Herald, the organisers said they refrigerated the cookies before and after transit.
Crumbl Cookies was contacted for comment.
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