PROVO — Four BYU entrepreneurs are hoping to deliver cookies to spectators watching the Cougars play this fall.
Chip, an up-and-coming business that prides itself on delivering warm cookies to customers, will be featured in LaVell Edwards Stadium during BYU football games this fall. Chip will also have a feature on its app (currently in development) so fans can have cookies delivered to their seats. The Provo-based company tested out the concept at the recent Stadium of Fire.
Chip sells large cookies out of its two stores and offers delivery to select areas. The company began baking in a startup kitchen at the Community Action Building in Provo and now owns a storefront in the city, co-founder Sarah Wilson said. Following the concept in Provo, the company has opened a spot in Salt Lake City, renting space out of the Spice Kitchen Incubator.
"We love being able to give to the community and be a real part of the community," Wilson said.
Chip also delivers to the Missionary Training Center in Provo on Wednesdays. It broke its record recently by delivering 20 boxes, instead of its average 6-10, co-founder Stephen Wirthlin said.
"It's really fun, being able to write messages from parents, you know, 'We love you, we're so proud of you, we miss you.' You know, it's really an emotional place," he said.
A family business, Chip was started by Wilson, her husband, Sean, and her brothers Stephen and Chris Wirthlin.
Sarah, Stephen and Chris all grew up in Los Angeles, and Sean is from San Diego. Sarah, Stephen and Sean all completed their undergraduate coursework at BYU, while Chris is still enrolled. Sarah majored in education, Sean studied accounting, Stephen was pre-med and Chris is pre-law.
It wasn't a love of baking, though, that led the founders to pursue the business. Rather, they found something unique for the area of Provo, and now Salt Lake.
"It was more like a concept of being able to have something delivered to your door, especially in an underserved area where you can't really get that," Sarah Wilson said.
Customers can order online or over the phone, have cookies delivered or pick them up in-store. For deliveries, Chip uses a feature called Onfleet that lets customers know where their Chip driver is. Chip is developing its own app that will include the same feature, along with other options, such as the option of delivering to your seat in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The large cookie is important to the company. After starting with smaller cookies and different ingredients, Chip surveyed people to guide the business to where it is now, Wirthlin said. It is experimenting with using different kinds of chips for variety, and doesn't see an end in sight.
"I think we just want to explode … just as far as the eye can see kind of thing," he said. "The sky's the limit."
The company hopes to expand around Utah and into California and Idaho.