The owner of lineup-worthy Craig’s Cookies joined Bob Cowan on Morning Live to share his business journey and secrets to becoming Canada’s leading cookie shop.

Craig Pike founded the popular cookie shop in 2013, after spending six years baking from his home kitchen and personally delivering cookies on his bike. Pike attributed the success of his business to his goal of creating an inclusive workplace.

“I’ve built a company that is a reflection of my values and what I think is important in work culture,” Pike said. “Employees are treated with fairness, diversity and inclusion. But also making sure that everybody who comes in for a cookie feels safe.”

Supporting employees’ ideas is another factor contributing to the prosperity of Craig’s Cookies. For example, Pike allows employees to be creative in the kitchen and experiment with new cookie recipes. If the cookie is tasty, it may become an option on their menu for customers.

Pike also hosts ‘Pizza Fridays’ every week to show appreciation for his employees.

The Canadian entrepreneur was first invited to be a part of a six-month pop-up shop at Williams-Sonoma in Yorkdale Mall in 2018. Soon after, Pike opened his first brick-and-mortar location in Parkdale, Toronto.

In only three years, Craig’s Cookies has opened five more locations across the GTA, as well as in Pike’s hometown of St. John’s, N.L.

“We have about 110 different flavours,” Pike said. “When you come into a store, there’s about 25 at a time that always switch out. You never know what you’re going to get when you come into Craig’s Cookies.”

Pike has been featured in multiple programs on The Food Network, EnRoute Magazine and Toronto Life magazine.