CHEYENNE, Wyo. — 14-year-old Gavin Jacobsen wears many different hats. He’s an honors student at McCormick Jr. High School, a member of its Science Olympiad team and a worker at McDonald’s.
There’s one more hat the eighth grader likes to wear, though — a baker’s one.
Jacobsen is the creator of Gav Gav Cookies, a small business where he makes and sells homemade cookies to Cheyenne community members. Locals can message the business’s Facebook page to place their order. Jacobsen can make any type of cookie, although his specialties are M&M, chocolate chip and Nutella.
“Usually [for other cookie requests] I take recipes I’ve had and modify them,” he said. “If it’s too far out of the way, I usually find a new recipe online, but I always make it first and see if it tastes good.”
Individual cookies cost around $3 and a pack of four costs $10. Prices for larger orders and custom cookies can vary, Jacobsen said. People can also buy pre-packaged cookies that he sells each week at the Whitt’s End Cattle Depot and Farm Stand.
A baker since birth, Jacobsen would spend hours in his family’s kitchen experimenting with different dessert recipes. Cookies ended up being his favorite to make because of the endless flavor options. Growing up in Warrensburg, Missouri, Jacobsen would give homemade cookies out to friends and family members. One time, he made over 50 cookies and treats for a silent auction and ended up raising $1,000 to support a local Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter.
“All I got was positive feedback, there was no negative feedback at all,” he said. “It motivated me to sell more.”
Jacobsen moved to Cheyenne in August 2022 with his family and opened Gav Gav Cookies in February 2023. When people find out that a 14-year-old is running the business, they are usually supportive, Jacobsen said.
“[They’re] usually surprised and more inclined to support the business,” he said.
Although Jacobsen is busy keeping up with his other commitments, the young entrepreneur hopes to one day sell his cookies in other local stores.
“I hope to get into more local stores around Cheyenne,” he said. “That would definitely be a big goal for me.”
