From Homemade to Nationwide: Virginia's Sweet Influence on Girl Scout Cookies

Limit the supply to increase the demand. That economic principle is put into practice every spring as millions of Girl Scouts hit the streets with a fresh batch of much-anticipated cookies. And just in time too, because that freezer stash of Thin Mints® just ran out!

What started as a fundraiser for a single troop in 1917 is now an annual, nationwide affair. But prior to the 1930s, you couldn't get Trefoils® from coast to coast. In the roaring 20s, Girl Scouts in different parts of the country baked their own cookies, packaging them in wax paper bags sealed with a sticker. A decade later, the national Girl Scout organization started using commercially baked desserts—made here in Virginia!