Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 27
COURTESY BYRD COOKIE CO.
e
B.T. "Cookie" Byrd Jr. took advantage of
Savannah's tourism, opening his bakery for
school trips and tour groups.
COURTESY BYRD COOKIE CO.
The cookie press
Both high-end retailer NeimanMarcus and upscale hotel chain The
Ritz-Carlton sell Byrd's cookies. United
Airlines has given more than 3 million
bags of the company's cookies to passengers on morning flights.
Byrd's annual cookie production
skyrocketed by 850 percent in 2018-
from 200 million to 1.9 billion cookies-
thanks to a $4 million expansion of the
company's production facility. Before
that, operating 20-plus-hour days seven
days a week had not been enough.
"Demand [had] far outstripped
our ability to supply," Byrd's President
Geoff Repella says, citing a "perfect
storm" of additional Byrd retail stores
and partnerships with airlines that drove
Byrd's online and retail business. Also,
the company had signed big contracts
with customers, pushing Byrd's beyond
capacity.
LESLIE MOSES
Jamie Lindley Jr. directs operations at
Byrd Cookie Co. The fifth-generation
baker is the great-great-grandson of
the company's founder.
Byrd's is successful because of Lindley's leadership, says Benny Curl, Byrd's
chairman emeritus. Repella attributes the
success to the company culture. Operations Director Jamie Lindley Jr.-Byrd Jr.'s
great-grandson-says it's their superior
product. And Stephanie Lindley says it's
their authenticity.
But one thing is clear: They're family
and are still ambitious and considerate
like Byrd Sr., who bought out his employer to start Byrd's and compassionately
sold cookies under a "cooky shop" building sign rather than correct the person
who misspelled "cookie."
Baking history
Founder Byrd Sr. and his wholesale bakery were "all about the cookie,"
Repella says. The company still sells his
Scotch Oatmeal cookie.
In 1949, his son, B.T. Byrd Jr., took
over. Locals called him "Cookie." Byrd Jr.
branched out into less-common cookie
offerings and was obsessed with benne
seeds, believed to be brought from Africa
and to bestow good health and luck. His
delicate Benne Wafers required special
metal tins, which he began to take to
trade shows and to ship nationwide.
Byrd Jr. also took advantage of
Savannah's tourism industry. He made
room for tour buses to stop at the business, offered samples and sold souvenir
tins that depicted Savannah landmarks.
When you go
Byrd Cookie Co. byrdcookiecompany.com
Bakery and flagship store, 6700
Waters Ave., Savannah. (912) 355-1716
Additional locations are at Savannah's
City Market and on River Street, plus in
Pooler and Charleston, S.C.
www.georgiamagazine.org
26-29_Byrd_Cookies_B_0420.indd 27
27
3/13/20 12:09 AM
http://www.byrdcookiecompany.com
http://www.georgiamagazine.org
Georgia Magazine - April 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2020
Contents
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 4
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 5
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 6
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 7
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 8
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 9
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 10
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 11
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 12
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 13
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 14
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 15
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 16
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 17
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 18
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 19
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 20
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 21
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 22
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 23
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 24
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 25
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 26
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 27
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 28
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 29
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 30
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 31
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 32
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 33
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 34
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 35
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 36
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 37
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 38
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 39
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 40
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 41
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 42
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 43
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 44
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 45
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - 46
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - April 2020 - Cover4
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