COOKIE CRUZ

From chaos to community: How Cookie Cruz became a Santa Cruz staple

5/30/2025

 

When I started Cookie Cruz in 2015, it was chaos. A one-man hustle fueled by chocolate chip cookies, late-night adrenaline, and a dream of surfing by day and building something of my own by night. I baked out of my apartment, handed out flyers at UCSC, and delivered cookies in a van packed with milk, gloves, Tupperware, and stress. Every weekend, I worked until 2 a.m., then woke up to make more dough, hoping the night would be “slow” just so I could catch my breath. But slowly, that chaos started turning into something real.

The First Breakthroughs

The grind never stopped that first year, but the signs of growth started showing. I realized I couldn't do it all, especially the dough-making. It was exhausting. I bought a dough depositor from Kook-e-King and hired Blanca to make the dough. She still makes it to this day. Eventually, I had to face the fact that racing around town, baking, boxing, and answering calls all at once wasn’t sustainable—or safe. I started building a team, hiring delivery drivers and letting go of the idea that I had to do everything myself. That shift changed the game.

Why We Bake to Order

When I decided to bake cookies fresh as orders came in, it wasn’t just about efficiency, it was about experience. I wanted people to feel like the cookies were made just for them. There’s something about getting a warm, fresh cookie at your doorstep that reminds you of childhood, of comfort, of home. That’s the feeling I wanted to deliver every night.

Creating a Colorful, Flavorful Menu

I’ve always loved the classics—chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, peanut butter—but I also wanted to offer something different. Most cookies are just shades of brown. I wanted color. I wanted creativity. So I started experimenting.
That’s how we got:
🍪 Cookies’n’Cream – with crushed Oreos
🟠 Orange Creamsicle
💜 Purple Ube
🥜🍇 Peanut Butter & Jelly
🔵 Cookie Monster – a blue cookie loaded with white chips, crushed Oreos & Chips Ahoy
🍫 Nutella – a double chocolate cookie topped with a dollop of Nutella
These became fan favorites. Not just because they were different, but because they tasted like something you couldn’t get anywhere else in Santa Cruz.


Partnering with a Santa Cruz Legend

One of the best decisions I made was partnering with Marianne’s Ice Cream. At the time, you couldn’t find their ice cream in most stores—you had to visit their shop. Bringing that iconic flavor to our customers was another way Cookie Cruz became part of the local food scene. Cookies, milk, ice cream. Delivered. Late-night. Local. It just made sense.

What Cookie Cruz Means to Me Now

I’ll be honest: right now, things are hard, but it's ok. I’m 37. I sold the business in 2024 and still work for the new owner. But it hasn’t been the same. Sales are down. I’ve been focused more on his bakery than my old business. And now, I’m facing the possibility of losing my job altogether. Some days I feel like Cookie Cruz doesn’t serve me the way I hoped it would. I used to dream of getting rich, traveling the world, and surfing. But after multiple ear surgeries, I had to give up the ocean. I shifted my focus to the gym. Bodybuilding became my new therapy. My new identity. But Cookie Cruz will always be a part of me. Every time someone at the gym or on the beach says, “Wait, that’s YOUR business? I love Cookie Cruz!” it still hits me. It still makes me feel proud. And I’m not done yet.

A Business Built by the Community

I didn’t grow Cookie Cruz alone. Santa Cruz showed up. Whether it was UCSC students placing late-night orders, or parents surprising their kids with cookies, the support was real. You kept Cookie Cruz going, especially during the years we had our own mobile app. Big thanks to Zion who is the app developer and all his hard work; he now a lead iOS developer at Google. I can't forget my ride or die employee, Lili, she's now at grad school up in Oregon. And while things have changed, I still believe in what we built together. Because Cookie Cruz has never just been about cookies. It’s been about hustle, heart, and hometown pride.

One Last Thing

I don’t know exactly what comes next. But I know I’m not ready to walk away. I still believe Cookie Cruz has more to give and more people to bring joy to. Thanks for being part of this journey. And if you’re reading this… maybe place an order tonight. The cookies are still warm. Still nostalgic. Still made with heart. 

-Matt
the Original Owner of Cookie Cruz 🍪
​

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How Cookie Cruz Got Started: The Original Late-Night Cookie Delivery in Santa Cruz

5/25/2025

 

Looking for the story behind Santa Cruz’s favorite late-night cookie delivery service? Welcome to Cookie Cruz where every cookie has a backstory and every delivery is baked with purpose.
Since 2015, Cookie Cruz has delivered fresh-baked cookies, cold milk, and local ice cream to homes across Santa Cruz, Capitola, Aptos, and Scotts Valley. But before it became a local favorite, Cookie Cruz was just a dream fueled by surfing, a desire to stay local, and a whole lot of chocolate chips.

🌊 From Surf Dreams to Startup Hustle
​I moved to Santa Cruz from Modesto in 2006 at 18 years old to chase waves and study at UC Santa Cruz. Surfing was my life. But while working nights at Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola, I started to feel the financial squeeze of living in paradise.
By 2015, I knew I needed to create something bigger. I wanted a business that would allow me to surf during the day and work at night, so I started one. Thus, Cookie Cruz was born with one mission: deliver warm cookies when people want them most—late at night.

🍪 Why Cookies?
As a student, I worked with the owner of a local late-night delivery service called Nite Owl Cookies. When he shut down and moved to San Francisco, I saw the opportunity. I believed Santa Cruz still needed a cookie delivery service and I believed I could do it better.

🚐 The First Cookies: One Man, One Van
I launched Cookie Cruz from my apartment in Spring 2015. In the early days, it was just me:
  • Baking chocolate chip cookies in my home kitchen
  • Printing flyers and posting them around UCSC
  • Delivering cookies after work out of my Honda Odyssey
  • Packing boxes and bottles of 2% milk in an ice chest from Safeway
  • Taking phone orders and boxing cookies in the van before driving to each customer
It was chaotic but it worked. By that fall, I had enough saved to go legit.

🍦 Growing the Brand: More Flavors, More Help
I expanded the menu to include Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Mint Chip, and eventually hired Blanca, who still makes our dough to this day.
We started baking cookies to order so every delivery arrived fresh and warm. I partnered with Marianne’s Ice Cream to sweeten the deal and grew our delivery zone to Aptos, Capitola, and Scotts Valley. In 2017, we rebranded from “All Nighter Cookies” to the name that stuck: Cookie Cruz.

🧠 The Mental Challenge of Business Ownership
The biggest challenges weren’t ovens or deliveries, it was mental health. Running a business is isolating. I went from team shifts at the restaurant to working alone late into the night. I’ll never forget what my uncle told me:
“You’re starting a business because you think you’re escaping slavery, but you’re actually going to be a slave for your business.”
He was right. I worked 6 nights a week until 2 AM. Eventually, after multiple ear surgeries, I had to give up surfing, the passion that fueled everything. I burned out. And in January 2024, I sold Cookie Cruz to Nicolas of Adorable French Bakery.
We operated our separate businesses out of the same commercial kitchen and how now merged. I still work with Cookie Cruz, it hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. That’s something I want to change.

💪 A New Chapter: Bodybuilding & Rediscovering Purpose
While I can’t surf anymore, I found a new outlet in bodybuilding and strength training at Santa Cruz Athletic Club(formerly Santa Cruz Power Fitness). I’ve built a new community and rediscovered a sense of balance and motivation.
And even though the original dream has shifted, Santa Cruz is still home and Cookie Cruz is still worth fighting for.

🍪 Why Cookie Cruz Still Matters
My favorite cookie will always be classic chocolate chip. To me, it’s warmth, nostalgia, and comfort just like a cookie your mom made when you were a kid.
That’s the experience I want to deliver:
Fresh-baked cookies that bring joy, create memories, and taste like home.
Cookie Cruz isn’t just a delivery service. It’s a love letter to Santa Cruz.
It’s about building something from nothing and delivering a little sweetness in every box.

✅ Support Local. Order Cookie Cruz Tonight.
We’re proud to deliver fresh-baked cookies, milk, and Marianne’s Ice Cream to your door—hot, fast, and always made with love.
📍 Serving: Santa Cruz, Capitola, Scotts Valley, and Aptos
🕒 Hours:
  • Tuesday – Friday: 11 AM – 12 AM
  • Saturday & Sunday: 4 PM – 12 AM
  • Closed Monday
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    Author

    Matthew O'Brien - the original owner of Cookie Cruz

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Location:

254Potrero St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

​(next to MPress in the building that says 'Extra Kitchen')

Contact Us:

831-419-1257

​[email protected]

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