The Minnesota State Fair Rejection That Sparked a Cookie Empire
The Minnesota State Fair draws over 2 million people annually. They come to see agricultural exhibits and animals, enjoy music and entertainment, experience attractions and rides, and most importantly, savor a wide variety of food.
For many food is the main event at the state fair. There are over 500 options available, many of them served on a stick. And, each year, new foods and drinks are introduced, but Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar consistently remains the most popular vendor. People love those buckets of cookies!
New Foods at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair recently revealed all of the new foods that will be available at this year's Great Minnesota Get-Together. Get those delicious details at the bottom of this story.
People get excited to sample the new creations, but the classic fair-food options are always the most popular. Pronto pups and cheese curds are must-haves for fairgoers, and the chocolate chip cookies are #1 each year.
Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar is consistently the top-earning vendor at the MN State Fair.
Minnesota State Fair: Is Sweet Martha a Real Person or Company Mascot?
Sweet Martha is a real person named Martha Rossini Olson. She and three business partners have been selling cookies at the Minnesota State Fair for over 40 years.
Every day during the fair, they sell 3 million cookies. But cookies weren't their original plan.
In the 1970s, Sweet Martha's was a frozen yogurt shop on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.
In 1978, the owners applied to be vendors at the Minnesota State Fair, hoping to sell frozen yogurt. However, their application was rejected because there was already a yogurt vendor.
The following year, Martha applied again, this time offering to sell cookies along with their frozen yogurt to stand out from the competing yogurt stand. Less than a month before the fair began, they were approved—but only to sell cookies, no frozen yogurt.
Here's where it gets funny.
THEY DIDN'T HAVE A COOKIE RECIPE!
The cookies were just included in the application to get approved.
So, Martha's team scrambled to gather all of their mother's chocolate chip cookie recipes. After a few weeks of tinkering, they found the perfect combination, just in time for their debut at the fair.
The cookies were a hit, and people lined up for them. During that first fair, they could make 200 cookies every 12 minutes. Today, they can make close to 45,000 in the same time.
In 2022, Sweet Martha reported $4.5 million in sales, more than double what the next highest-earning vendor made.
New Foods for the 2026 Minnesota State Fair
Gallery Credit: Carly Ross
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