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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bakery |
| Founded | 2005 inBeverly Hills, CA, United States |
| Founders | Candace Nelson, Charles Nelson |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Products | Cupcakes Cakes Cookies Chocolates |
| Website | sprinkles |
Sprinkles Cupcakes is a bakerychain established in 2005. It is considered the world's first cupcake bakery.[1][2][3]
In 2002,Candace Nelson and her husband Charles Nelson, bothinvestment bankers,[4] visited Candace's sister in New York and tried the cupcakes atMagnolia Bakery. Candace decided that it was "time for cupcakes to stop being the backup dancer to cakes."[5] Having started a custom cake business after attending Tante Marie's Pastry Program in San Francisco, she set her sights on cupcakes. "I was taking orders for special occasion cakes which I came to realize are, by definition, reserved for special, infrequent occasions," she said. "I wanted to create an artful and handcrafted dessert, yet one which people could eat on a daily basis...which led me to reinvent and elevate the lowly cupcake."[6][7]
Although starting a cupcake bakery was a "high-risk venture"[1] and the bakery business was in a four-yearno carb decline,[8] the Nelsons pursued their dream. Their "sleek, minimalistic" store was designed by an architect fromVienna[9] and the logo and packaging were created by a formerMartha Stewart employee with design help from graphic designers Kevin Hagen and David Irvin.[9] On April 13, 2005,[9] the Nelsons opened Sprinkles' first store on LittleSanta Monica Boulevard inBeverly Hills. On the first day, the cupcakes sold out in three hours,[9] and 2,000 cupcakes were sold the first week.[4]
Candace is described as taking a "sophisticated" twist on the classic cupcake, using ingredients like sweet creambutter, pureNielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla,Callebaut chocolate, fresh bananas and carrots, real strawberries, and natural citrus zests.[10] She also creates products such asvegan andgluten-free cupcakes[11] and even cupcakes with dog-friendly ingredients.[12] The cupcakes are baked fresh daily and are free frompreservatives,trans fats, andartificial flavors.[13]
In 2018, Sprinkles began offering layer cakes in varying flavors.
Sprinkles has 25 locations throughout the United States (Beverly Hills,Dallas,Georgetown,The Grove,Downtown Los Angeles,Westlake Village,Houston,La Jolla,New York City,Palo Alto,Scottsdale,Las Vegas,Tampa,San Ramon, andNewport Beach),[14] with plans to open in 15 more cities includingLondon andTokyo.[9] The Nelsons also started a traveling "Sprinklesmobile", aMercedes Sprinter van designed by Sprinkles architect Andrea Lenardin and built by "Pimp My Ride's" West Coast Customs.[15] In February 2011 Sprinkles released aniPhone app that features free cupcakes and virtual gifting.[16]
Sprinkles Cupcakes opened its first New York City store on May 13, 2011.[17] In late 2016, a location opened inDowntown Disney at theDisneyland Resort inAnaheim, California.[18]
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On March 6, 2012, Sprinkles Cupcakes opened the world's first CupcakeATM in Beverly Hills. The second opened a few months later in Chicago. A third is at the company's bakery in Dallas, and the fourth outside theLexington Avenue branch in New York City. The Cupcake ATMs dispense cupcakes and doggie cupcakes (pupcakes) 24 hours a day and are continuously restocked with freshly baked cupcakes. Each can hold up to 600 cupcakes at a time.[19] Sprinkles currently has 30 ATMs located in areas such as malls and airports.
Sprinkles launched a line of chocolates inspired by some of their cupcake flavors in 2024. Chocolate Bars and Mini Chocolates are available at all bakeries and in Walmart and Target stores across the country. Bars are made with chocolate from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
On May 24, 2012, Sprinkles expanded its dessert brand with the opening of Sprinkles Ice Cream next door to its cupcake bakery in Beverly Hills, and later in 2013, in Newport Beach's Corona del Mar Plaza and in Dallas in The Plaza at Preston Center. Ice cream is no longer available on the menu, except at the Disney Springs location.
Sprinkles has gained many celebrity endorsements.[20][21]Oprah Winfrey,Barbra Streisand,Tyra Banks,Katie Holmes,Paris Hilton,[22]Blake Lively,Ryan Seacrest,Tom Cruise,[23] andJake Gyllenhaal are among its customers.[24]
Barbra Streisand was one of Sprinkles' first customers and introduced Oprah Winfrey to the brand by sending her a box of cupcakes. Only eight months after opening Sprinkles, Charles and Candace received a call fromHarpo Studios that Oprah needed 300 cupcakes for her studio audience inChicago the next morning forBreakfast with Oprah, wherein she showcases her favorite delicacies. The couple managed to catch an overnight flight, and the cupcakes were featured on Oprah's show. Soon after, sales in their Beverly Hills location increased 50%, to 1,500 cupcakes daily.[25]
Sprinkles has also appeared onThe Today Show andNightline,[26] as well asEntourage[21] andThe Girls Next Door.[1]
Sprinkles played a role inTom Cruise's courtship ofKatie Holmes.[1] At Christmas in 2007, the Cruises sent out boxes of holiday-themed Sprinkles cupcakes to friends and associates.[25]
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