Valley Mom’s Cookie Flavor Could Earn Her $500,000

A San Fernando Valley homemaker could earn $500,000 for creating a new flavor of cookie. Eden Folwell of Winnetka is a finalist in the #MyOreoCreation Contest, sponsored by Mondelez International Inc., which owns the Oreo brand. Folwell’s idea for a cherry cola-flavored Oreo beat out hundreds of thousands of submissions to advance in the competition. “It was so exciting when they told me I was chosen to have my cookie flavor sold in stores and was in the running to win half a million dollars,” said the mother of two teenagers, who learned about the contest by reading an Oreos package. The inspiration for her flavor came from Folwell’s childhood, when her family would go to the beach with chicken, cans of soda and Oreos. “I thought … how can I capture that feeling in a cookie? This flavor is really a taste of nostalgia for me,” she explained. Pam Clarkson, associate director of North American Oreo equity at Mondelez, said Folwell’s Cherry Cola Oreos are available in stores nationwide for a limited time. The other finalists, Kettle Corn and Piña Colada, are also for sale. The contest’s winner will be determined by online votes before the June 30 deadline. The competition began with ideas submitted to Mondelez, including proposals for flavors such as coffee and donuts, avocado and unicorn. “We actively reviewed submissions in real time and developed hundreds of prototypes,” Clarkson said. “Once the contest closed, we narrowed down the vast submission list using judging criteria that included taste appeal, creativity and originality before selecting the three finalist submissions.” Even if Folwell doesn’t win, she’s guaranteed a runner-up prize of $25,000. – Joel Russell