While my fellow Girl Scouts were busy gobbling Thin Mints and Tag-a-Longs, I’d be quietly nibbling on a shortbread cookie. The crumble. The butter. The lip-smacking goodness. How I managed to be the only second grader with an appreciation for shortbread is beyond me. But the confection geniuses at Michel et Augustin welcomed me with open arms. We sat down to interview the company’s CEO, Evan Holod, and asked what about this brand is so unique.
“We're real. We're playful. We're French, but we don't take ourselves too seriously,” commented Evan. “We’re all about taking the fundamentals of French pastry and making it accessible, fun, delicious, and pretty much parfait for any occasion.”
The company began as the brainchild of French pastry enthusiasts, Augustin Paluel-Marmont and Michel de Rovira. With cookies born from a little kitchen in Paris, the pair aimed to reignite a shortbread passion within us all.
“Their mission was, and continues to be, to shake up the cookie aisle by baking delicious things made with simple ingredients,” added Evan. “They wanted to create something that consumers could actually connect with—an approachable, real brand led by positive people (the Tribe) with big ideas!”
The company has laid claim to the butter category and introduced the delights of French pastry to the cookie aisle. Once more, it blew customer’s minds by shaping the cookies into squares as opposed to circles. Boom.
And what does this brand offer to retailers, you may ask?
“We invest in our partners. We work with them to ensure that the cookies fly off the shelves,” Evan explains. “Our cookies are made with ingredients you can find in your kitchen, and in a time when consumers are prioritizing taste, our Cookie Squares will win them over!”
Michel et Augustin currently creates its Cookie Squares in four flavors: Dark Chocolate and a Pinch of Sea Salt, Chocolate and Toasted Hazelnuts, Milk Chocolate and Melty Caramel, and Triple Chocolate.
“We just launched the Triple Chocolate cookie square this summer, with a Dutch cocoa shortbread, dark chocolate ganache, and a sprinkle of cocoa nibs. We'd love to launch another cookie square flavor aimed at coffee lovers. And our next frontier? Well, let's just say it involves butter. A lot of butter. Mmm. Butter,” Evan laughed.
Evan encourages everyone to come by the Banana Farm in Gowanus for the company’s monthly Open House on first Thursdays, where it will hold cookie tastings, focus groups, and more community fun.
I extend my gratitude to Michel et Augustin for creating a cookie that transcends time (and taste buds). Deli Market News will continue to report on the industry’s unique products.
