The gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip cookie will be available in the coming year, joining the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world that powers amazing experiences for girls.
Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) announced this week a new cookie, Caramel Chocolate Chip, will join the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie® season lineup, as a gluten-free offering with limited availability in select areas. More than just delicious cookies, the Girl Scout Cookie Program® fuels girls’ development of entrepreneurial and essential life skills, and the cookie earnings power amazing experiences for girl members.
The largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, the Girl Scout Cookie Program is proven to help girl participants develop five essential life and business skills, fostering the next generation of women who are entrepreneurs and business leaders. A recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that 85 percent of girls surveyed learned how to set goals and meet deadlines, 88 percent became effective decision-makers, 88 percent learned to manage money, 85 percent gained people skills, and 94 percent learned business ethics—all through the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Two out of three girls surveyed (66 percent) developed all five skills while doing amazing things for themselves and their communities.
Each and every purchase of Girl Scout Cookies—100 percent of the net revenue, which stays local—is an investment in girls and their leadership capabilities, both now and in the future. Girl Scouts are able to do incredible things thanks to their cookie earnings, such as:
- Embark on new adventures, from camping at a local state park to backpacking through Europe.
- Complete service projects like creating care packages for children with cancer at local hospitals or building an edible garden for a soup kitchen.
- Unleash their inner innovator by building a robot and participating in a robotics competition.
“The Girl Scout cookie booths are a long-cherished tradition that not only provide the world with delicious cookies, but also teach girls critical skills in financial literacy, teamwork, creativity, and customer interaction,” said Kelly Griffin, product sales director, Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines. “Above all, this program is self-sustaining, as the proceeds are reinvested back into the Girls, their communities, and their futures as the leaders and businesswomen of tomorrow.”
“The Girl Scout Cookie Program plays a powerful role in developing financially savvy girl leaders,” said GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. “Girl entrepreneurs learn valuable interpersonal and business skills via the cookie program that help them become successful in their future careers, no matter what path they choose. My experience selling Girl Scout Cookies taught me to be creative, enterprising, and persistent, and helped me build self-confidence and resilience. When you buy Girl Scout Cookies you are not only helping girls become business trailblazers, you’re also helping them power their Girl Scout adventures and ensuring they have access to the cutting-edge leadership experiences and opportunities that only Girl Scouts can offer.”
Girl Scouts—North Carolina Coastal Pines will offer the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip cookie, which joins classics like the Thin Mints®, Caramel deLites®, and Shortbread varieties. Caramel Chocolate Chip features rich caramel, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt in a chewy cookie. The new cookie is offered only in select Girl Scout council markets for as long as supplies last, and it can only be purchased from a registered Girl Scout. Like other similar consumer products, gluten-free cookies may be priced higher than other Girl Scout Cookies, reflecting the cost of production.
This July, GSUSA also announced 30 new badges now available exclusively for Girl Scouts ages 5–18 that not only enhance the one-of-a-kind Girl Scout experience, but also address some of society’s most pressing needs, such as cybersecurity, environmental advocacy, mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science, and space exploration. In a safe all-girl space, Girl Scouts develop important soft skills, including confidence and perseverance, as well as hard skills, setting them up for success and preparing them to take action for a better world.
To learn more about the Girl Scout Cookie Program and find out when Girl Scouts will be selling cookies near you, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org. For more information about Girl Scouts, including how to join or volunteer, visit www.girlscouts.org/join.
