Taylor Chip: Sweet Success Through a Dessert Brand That Sets Itself Apart

Last year, the Pennsylvania Chamber’s “Coolest Thing Made in PA” contest – a bracket-style competition that pits 64 beloved made-in-Pennsylvania products against each other in a public voting contest over voting on X and Instagram – had a serious new dark-horse competitor: Taylor Chip.

More and more people are discovering – and loving – Taylor Chip. In fact, according to Inc. Magazine, Taylor Chip is the seventh-fastest growing company in Pennsylvania.

That loyal and growing following propelled the cookie company to “Coolest Thing Made in PA’s” round of 16. The social media-savvy company engaged their followers – known fondly as the “cookie friends” – every step of the way through videos urging their supporters to vote. But while the road in the 2024 competition ended earlier than they’d have liked, the path to success has just begun for Taylor Chip founders and owners, Sara and Doug Taylor.

The married couple started their business with a 13-by-8 market stand just off the Lancaster-area Fruitville Pike – and a larger-than-life dream.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” Doug admits, looking back to the early days when he and his wife were just starting. But, the couple were armed with the perfect cookie recipe, as well as marketing skills, and they decided to give it their all.

“When we opened, we really divided and conquered,” Doug says. “Both of our skills complemented each other – while I was able to get the word out, Sara helped fulfill our order demand and build a team that held to our high corporate culture standards.”

Fast forward to today, and Taylor Chip is still headquartered in the Lancaster area – specifically, in Intercourse (a fact that gets its fair share of play over social media). The company footprint has grown exponentially, with seven locations from Harrisburg to Philadelphia and a national customer base through their e-commerce program. The company also ships its cookies around the country using approximately 250 wholesale accounts from its quickly growing Consumer packaged goods (CPG) program (a part of the U.S. EPA’s initiative that helps reduce materials use and ensure lower emissions in shipping goods).

Taylor Chip is proud to employ 70 employees who manufacture all their products – including their newly launched ice cream line which recently debuted in Taylor Chip’s York and Philly locations.

Doug credits the team’s steady and swift growth to their dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to their mission: to create shareable, impactful moments that last a lifetime through a delightfully perfect indulgence, using ingredients the whole family can feel good about.

Simply put, the Taylors are fixated on natural ingredients to create a delectable, melt-in-your-mouth bite that sets their sweets apart from the competition. Take their latest venture, ice cream – an item Doug says they have been working on since 2019.

“We took a while because of our desire to make something completely proprietary, which meant controlling the whole process from A-Z,” he says. “We went to Penn State’s short course [on ice cream making] and continued a few years of the learning process until we felt we had a firm grasp on manufacturing. For now, we use a local farm to pasteurize our unique base, and then we bring the ice cream making in-house. We take inspiration from our cookie flavors and utilize our team to create the ice cream using only real fruits and extracts that are unique and inclusive to Taylor Chip. Think Ben & Jerry’s on steroids, with a super dense, 14 percent-plus butterfat base that avoids those perceived bad-for-you ingredients such as corn syrup solids and carrageenan.”

Not surprisingly, the ice cream has been met with rave reviews. And as Taylor Chip continues its core focus on creating shareable, impactful moments around their indulgent desserts, the team is also working to educate their customers on how they prioritize choosing better ingredients.

Taylor Chip is determined to grow – not only in terms of physical locations and its shipping capabilities, but in the number of employees who believe in their mission. “We are going to continue to build our culture and increase wages and opportunities to grow within the company, so everyone working at Taylor Chip can continue to feel pride in what they are doing and have the support behind them to provide for their families, take calculated risks, and build on the culture of innovation we’ve all worked so hard to establish,” Doug says.

The team is also finishing the details on its second Philadelphia location, after which it plans to continue expanding its four-wall retail locations. They are also working to upgrade their commissary, grow their CPG program, invest in their e-commerce software, double down on their corporate gifting segment, and reach their ultimate financial goal – $100 million in sales before 2030.

As to whether Taylor Chip can go even further in the “Coolest Thing Made in PA” contest in March 2025: with their strong media presence, amazing product line, and Doug and Sara’s penchant for engaging their Cookie Friends, do not ever count this sweet team out!