Crumbl Cookies co-founder Sawyer Hemsley steps down from day-to-day role
Alongside fellow co-founder and CEO, Jason McGowan, Hemsley will remain involved as a member of the board of directors
After nine years as chief brand officer, Crumbl Cookies co-founder, Sawyer Hemsley, is bidding farewell to his day-to-day role with the company.
Alongside fellow co-founder and CEO, Jason McGowan, Hemsley will remain involved as a member of the board of directors.
Yesterday (11 May), he posted to Instagram a joint statement with McGowan, laying out future plans for the brand.
“We are still deeply invested in this company… and where Crumbl goes from here” – Crumbl Cookies co-founders, Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan
It read: “We are incredibly proud of what we have built. What started as an idea between cousins has turned into something much bigger than we ever expected. The foundation is strong, and the future is exciting.”
They added, “We are still deeply invested in this company… and where Crumbl goes from here.”
The company was founded in 2017 by cousins, McGowan and Hemsley, with their flagship branch in Utah selling only milk chocolate chip cookies.
Now with over 1,100 locations worldwide they are looking for new leadership to continue the company’s legacy.
They continued, “Getting the right people in place matters a lot, and I believe an open process will allow us to find the very best leadership to support Crumbl’s future success and stay involved to support a smooth transition.”
“I’m trying to optimise to live life outside of work versus just letting work control my life” – Hemsley hinting at the announcement in March
Hemsley took to Instagram Reels in March to speak about claiming back the balance between work and his personal life.
“I’m trying to optimise to live life outside of work versus just letting work control my life and I think there’s a time and place for this,” he began.
“If you can do that early on that’s awesome, but if you’re an entrepreneur, you have to grind, you have to hustle you have to make those sacrifices and you can’t always enjoy life because you’re trying to make something work,” he added, reflecting back on his own sacrifices.
“I did that in the early years… but I finally just said you need to live life while you’re working. When I started to do that I felt myself become more happy and I felt myself trusting my team members more, that worked underneath me, to have greater responsibility and decision making,” said the Utah businessman.
Hemsley’s coming out and life with boyfriend Antonio Bruno
Recently, celebrating 11 months with his boyfriend, Antonio Bruno, Hemsley came out in August last year after TikTok star, Grant Gibbs, outed him.
After an apology from Gibbs stating that “this was never my intention – to out somebody in this way”, Hemsley took to Instagram to come out on his own terms.
“I didn’t have the clarity to answer the questions or respond to the rumours. Over the past few years, I’ve come to understand and accept that I’m gay,” he told his social media followers.
“It’s taken me a long time to really process this part of myself, and even longer to feel comfortable enough to say it out loud.”
A month after coming out, his real-estate boyfriend was made Instagram official and since then it’s been a constant slew of picture-perfect couple posts.
Crumbl Cookies co-founder Sawyer Hemsley steps down after almost a decade