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Stroopwaffels (Picture: Wikimedia Commons/Niels Elgaard Larsen)
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Friday, August 21, 2015 - 16:16
Stroopwafel cookies the next hit in American markets
Stroopwafels are taking American markets by storm. More and more companies are selling these traditional Dutch cookies to American consumers, Z24 reports.
Cassandra Plas sells stroopwaffels for her business Gezelligcookies at the Winter Park farmers market in Florida. "There is totally a stroopwafel market here!" she told Z24 when they inquired about whether or not Americans line up for the Dutch treat. Cassandra grew up with stroopwafels thanks to her father, who emigrated to Canada with his parents when he was a teenager. She started making them herself for her friends and family and eventually decided to turn it into a businesses.
Some companies are starting out because of strong Dutch ties in their communities. Stroopies started with stroopwafels in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2008. The area has a large Dutch community. The Good Batch bakery in New York started in 2010 because "the family missed the cookies from home".
Other companies started after discovering stroopwafels in the Netherlands while on holiday. Circles Speciality Stroopwafels in Salt Lake City was established in 2011 after its founders discovered the treat in Amsterdam and decided it was "simply not fair that Europeans have it all to themselves". The company now claims to sell the "tastiest, best freshest stroopwafels this side of the Atlantic."
Hopboom Baking Company in Tacoma started out early this year, also after the 26 year old owner discovered stroopwafels in Amsterdam. According to Z24, she can't keep up with the high demand for stroopwafels from coffee shops.
Stroopwafels appear in many different names. Stroopie Gourmet calls them "stroopies', another calls them "strooples", World's Best Cookie calls them "besties". "If people see 'waffle' they think they're getting a Belgian waffle", Lily Tsay of Stroopie said to Z24. "'Stroopie' lets them know its something else. Stroopwafels are a hot commodity, but not everyone knows it. This market revolves around explaining to people why they would like stroopwafels so much."