At only 17 years old, Cory Nieves has already been in the dessert business for over a decade, marking him as a Gen Z cookie tycoon with commendable drive.

The Englewood, New Jersey, teen started his company with the help of his mother, Lisa Howard, back when he was only six years old. He originally started selling hot cocoa, later expanding to include lemonade and cookies.

Since then, his business — Mr. Cory’s Cookies — has grown to the point that Nieves has gotten his cookies into high-profile retailers like Barney’s, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Pottery Barn, and Whole Foods.

 

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“While this all started out as a way for a son to help his mom, it’s become so much bigger,” Howard recently told AfroTech. “I know it’s hard for the fatherless kids out there, but he has a drive and a tenacity that prevents him from giving up.”

“He keeps pushing through the ups and the downs. When I see my son, I see myself,” Howard added.

Nieves also spoke on his journey to building Mr. Cory’s Cookies up.

“We started making cookies out of our home, but we, of course had to make sure we were complying with health regulations. We then leveled up and secured a commercial kitchen and now we mass-produce our product nationwide,” he said.

While the success of Mr. Cory’s Cookies has allowed Nieves to begin investing in his future, it has come with its struggles as well.

“When people see us on TV or read about us in magazines or on social media, they only see one side and assume we’re just a happy parent-and-son-team and everything is easy,” she noted. “But I am here to tell you that’s just not true, especially when your son is a celebrity who’s also a teen!”

“At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change things for the world. We keep pushing, keep dreaming, keep building, and keep doing—no matter what,” Howard added. “That’s the only way I know how to keep our enterprise going strong.”

It’s also worth noting that TV buffs may recognize Nieves. Back in 2015, he appeared on the third season of MasterChef Junior, coming in 9th place overall.

Around the same time, he also appeared on Ellen.

This young business owner plans on attending college and studying to become an investor in the future. 

You can check out Mr. Cory’s Cookies menu here.

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