Courtesy
Matt Bonoma of Vermont Cookie Love
After 14 years, Paul Seyler of North Ferrisburgh-based
Vermont Cookie Love has handed the baton — or should we say, the cookie — on to a new owner.
On July 15, Seyler, 52, sold his cookie business and popular seasonal creemee and ice cream stand on Route 7 for an undisclosed amount to Matt Bonoma, 42, of Charlotte.
Bonoma, who grew up in Massachusetts, worked for more than a decade in food and beverage business consulting in Boulder, Colo. In 2019 he moved to Vermont with his wife, who is from Norwich, and the couple's three children.
When Bonoma learned Vermont Cookie Love was for sale, he was immediately interested. "I knew I wanted to do something entrepreneurial and it meshed really well with my background," he said.
In addition, Vermont Cookie Love was already a favorite family destination. "This is a dream come true for our kids," Bonoma said. "Their dad gets to be Willy Wonka."
Seyler and his former partner, Suzanna Miller, launched their cookie company at the Shelburne Farmers Market in the summer of 2007. They initially offered four flavors of freshly baked cookies, including their signature First Love chocolate chip, and hand-rolled tubes of frozen cookie dough.
"It was an idea that we had over the kitchen table," Seyler reminisced. "It's really grown into this brand that people love."
Courtesy
Paul Seyler, left, and Matt Bonoma
In 2008, Seyler and Miller bought a 1,500-square-foot building at 6915 Route 7, where they built a production bakery in the back and a small cookie shop up front. The following summer, Vermont Cookie Love opened a creemee window.
The business currently generates about three-quarters of its revenue from retail sales. Vermont Cookie Love also sells online gift boxes. The cookie dough is available frozen in tubs through Chittenden and Addison county grocery stores.
Bonoma sees growth opportunities in adding more Vermont Cookie Love shops over time and expanding online sales. "Vermont's got a great name in the food world and everybody loves cookies," he said.
He plans to be a hands-on owner. "You're doing something right when you're 42 and come home covered in hot fudge," Bonoma said with a laugh.