Six years ago, Roslyn resident Anna Kotler and Northport resident Nina Lombardo teamed up to work on the production of oatmeal cookies with a twist.
The two concentrated of the sale of what they called O’ts cookies at farmer’s markets and local grocery stores.
But now thanks to orders from T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s the brand will be available on shelves across the nation.
It is “incredibly exciting” to be on grocery store shelves nationwide, Kotler said. It is “really gratifying” to see the business’s growth, Lombardo added.
O’ts now offers four flavors, using flavors from all around the world to ‘spice’ up the fan-favorite cookie.
Lombardo, a longtime baker and creative director, started selling homemade granola before expanding to oatmeal cookies. The brand, originally titled Nina’s Fresh Batch, was sold at farmer’s markets in eastern Long Island and select stores, Lombardo said.
When Lombardo decided to expand her business in 2019, she met Kotler at a local food council meeting. Kotler said she wanted to find a business partner, and Lombardo was the perfect fit, both professionally and personally.
“I knew that she had the expertise,” Lombardo said.
Kotler had worked as a manager in the food industry early on in her career, working with brands like Campbell’s Soup, Hebrew National and Entenmann’s, before moving into consulting later in her career.
“We really complement each other in our skillsets,” Lombardo said.
The two began working together on expanding the brand.
Kotler said the brand uses the “oatmeal cookie as a canvas to introduce consumers to interesting and exotic flavors.” O’ts cookies have influences from all over the world, from Syrian peppers to Sicilian sea salt, Lombardo said.
The brand currently has four flavors: sweet and salty, dirty chai, churro con chocolate and spicy dark chocolate.
Lombardo said some of the flavors are inspired by places she’s traveled. She created the churro-inspired cookie after a trip to Mexico City with her husband, she said.
Kotler said consumers have expanded their taste pallets to many new things in recent years. She said new cuisines, spices and flavors have entered into peoples’ diets but have not entered into the baked goods industry.
In addition to new flavors, Kotler said the brand has a clean label, with ingredients that consumers can recognize.
O’ts cookies are now available in about 150 tri-state area stores, including Uncle Giuseppe’s, Morton Williams, Holiday Farms, Shop Rite, Wild by Nature, Key Foods, and Food Towns. Kotler said the company just received its first order from T.J. Maxx and Marshalls for stores nationwide.
For more information or to order online, visit otscookies.com.
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