The Girl Scout cookies you enjoy every year might taste different if you've moved since the last time you ate them. That's because the Girl Scouts use two different bakeries to distribute the cookies.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Thin Mint cookie that's "crunchier, with more mint than chocolate" comes fromVirginia-based bakery ABC Cookies. The cookie with "a distinct peppermint taste" is produced by Kellogg'sLittle Brownie Bakers located in Louisville, Kentucky.
Since the cookies are coming from two different bakeries, the taste and appearance will naturallyvary due to slight differences in the recipe and ingredients available to the bakers, aGirl Scouts of the USA spokesperson told Business Insider.
Most of the U.S. gets its cookies from Litte Brownie Bakers, but major cities like Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, and Orlando are getting cookies from ABC Cookies.The L.A. Times created thisinteractive graphicthat lets you search by ZIP Code to see which version of the cookies you're eating.
Here's a look at the cookies produced by each baker:
So, why do the Girl Scouts have two different bakers to produce two different types of the "same" cookie?
Because the annual cookie operation is massive.
Each year,Girl Scouts sell about 200 million boxes, which equates to$800 million worth. The most popular cookie,Thin Mints make up 25% of the entire sales, which is $200 million.
"Having more than one baker allows us to have greater production capacity to support the Girl Scout Cookie Program,"aspokesperson told Business Insider.
"During our busiest point in the season, our bakers make about 9 million Thin Mints daily."
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