AT 17 YEARS OLD, CORY NIEVES RUNS SUCCESSFUL COOKIE BUSINESS ‘MR. CORY’S COOKIES’

(Source Black Enterprise):

One sharp cookie is basking in the sweetness of success.

Seventeen-year-old entrepreneur Cory Nieves sits at the head of Mr. Cory’s Cookies, an all-natural and high-quality cookie store that has been nothing but lucrative. Mr. Cory’s Cookies offers original recipe cookies like the Double Dark, Oatmeal Raisin, Sugar, and more soon to come.

The Harlem native founded the cookie consortium when he was just 6-years old, after complaining to his mom, Lisa Howard, that he was tired of taking the bus to school and wanted to buy a car instead, according to their website.

That prompted Nieves to sell hot cocoa in the town of Englewood in order to raise the funds for securing a new car for his mom.

Soon releasing his entrepreneurial passion while creating the business, Howard inspired him to continue the hot cocoa sales for a college fund. Nieves, fueled by dedication, expanded his business and began to sell lemonade and cookies in addition to the hot chocolate. The pair even learned the ins and outs of baking, and soon began testing original cookie recipes.

“While this all started out as a way for a son to help his mom, it’s become so much bigger. I know it’s hard for the fatherless kids out there, but he has a drive and a tenacity that prevents him from giving up. He keeps pushing through the ups and the downs. When I see my son, I see myself,” Howard said in an interview with AfroTech.

     “WE STARTED MAKING COOKIES OUT OF OUR HOME, BUT WE OF COURSE HAD TO MAKE SURE WE WERE COMPLYING WITH HEALTH REGULATIONS. WE THEN LEVELED UP AND SECURED A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN AND NOW WE MASS-PRODUCE OUR PRODUCT NATIONWIDE,” NIEVES SHARED.

Mr. Cory’s Cookies has seen success on the shelves of Aetna, Barney’s, Bloomingdales, Citibank, J. Crew, Macy’s, Mercedes-Benz, Pottery Barn, Ralph Lauren, TOMS, Viacom, Whole Foods, Williams-Sonoma and most recently have partnered with Marcus Lemonis.

“When people see us on TV or read about us in magazines or on social media, they only see one side and assume we’re just a happy parent-and-son-team and everything is easy,” Howard said. “But I am here to tell you that’s just not true, especially when your son is a celebrity who’s also a teen! At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change things for the world. We keep pushing, keep dreaming, keep building, and keep doing — no matter what. That’s the only way I know how to keep our enterprise going strong.”