The idea for starting Nans Cookies came to serial entrepreneur Michael Isaacs in 2025 when he wanted to offer a better-tasting, homemade cookie at his bakery.
Isaacs, who owns multiple businesses including The Village Burger and Isaacs Carwash, thought of using his beloved grandmother’s cookie recipe to start the new business.
“It really started when I realized we were only offering frozen or generic cookies, which weren’t made by us, at one of my businesses, which was called Village Bakery. I thought about it and decided that we could definitely make our own cookies in-house. This happened right around my birthday, when my grandmother, our Nan, gave me a Tupperware with a dozen cookies, like she does every year. And it was like a lightbulb went off: this was the cookie recipe that I should use! And my grandmother was on board right from the get-go,” Isaacs said. “For me, it’s definitely an opportunity I wanted to explore, and like the other businesses I run, I wanted to pursue this to its maximum potential. It’s also a very sentimental endeavour for me because I have enjoyed these cookies that my grandmother has been making for years, and wanted to share that with others.”
Isaacs recalled growing up with his grandmother’s cookies and the memories he had.
“I remember going to her house, and Nan’s cookies were there ready for us to eat. But when we couldn’t find them, there was another place we tried…in a bread bag, which was in the cookie jar. And if we found only crumbs there, we knew that Papa, our grandfather, would hide another batch in the freezer. I have fond memories of finding some of the cookies there and also a bag of No Name ruffle chips too,” he recalled.
However, Isaacs’ grandmother was very happy when the company was launched.
“She told me that I was silly when I wanted to turn her recipe into a cookie business. But she meant it as a term of endearment because she knows I’m always coming up with new ideas and finding ways to create businesses. For me, when I see an opportunity, I go for it, and I really saw a great way that I could share this great cookie my grandmother has been making for so many years while making a company around it,” he said. “Like I have always said: if you find a $100 bill on the ground, I would assume most of us would pick it up. And it’s similar to Nans Cookies; it was an opportunity that was right in front of me, which I started and ran with. I remember having our first Nans Cookies pop-up at my uncle’s gas station/convenience store, and my grandmother came in. She’s a very shy person, but was very happy that so many people were coming in too to try the cookies. She also participated in the Six Nations’ Santa Claus parade recently, riding in the car with me, waving and smiling to the crowd. It was such an amazing experience to have her there right by me.”
Although it has been a slow process in building the business, Isaacs leaned on his experience as an entrepreneur.
“We started with two spoons, putting them on a pan, [and] baking them in some convection ovens. But the batches weren’t consistent. We then decided to go to the pizza shop next to us and try baking the cookies on conveyor ovens. We noticed an increase consistently all the way through, and that really helped us get to the quality we were looking for. [Naturally, we started to use] a higher-grade industrial conveyor and ovens as well as using former machines where you make the cookie dough, shooting out a cookie per second while maintaining the size and thickness that we wanted,” Isaacs said. “Then, when our kitchen became too small, I [eventually] made the decision to move onto the homestead and put in a full commercial kitchen with freezers and a walk-in cooler. I’ve since purchased a high-end machine that wraps each cookie individually.”
Recently, Isaacs brought Nans Cookies products, which are proudly made on the Six Nations Territory, to the Santa Claus parades in both Six Nations and Caladonia, getting a lot of positive reactions and support in the process.
“For the Six Nations Santa Claus Parade, I took one of my transport trucks and used their trailers, wrapped them up with our colors and logo. I also got a Bronco, a Mini, and some golf carts…driving them in the parade, while giving us a chance to pass out 2000 cookies, which we quickly ran out of. The parade showed us how people have continued to be very supportive…[and] my grandmother was there with me. She is well known in the community, and the impact she has made,” the entrepreneur said. “For the Caledonia Santa Claus Parade, it surpassed our expectations. We had the Nans Cookies elves and the Cookie Monster handing out cookies to the attendees. We managed to give out over 2,000 cookies. We were very grateful for the wonderful support and the opportunity to be part of these great parades.”
However, before Isaacs started Nans Cookies, he had established himself as a successful entrepreneur, which ran in his family. He has, in turn, utilized that experience for his new endeavour.
“I have to give my mom a lot of credit there. I had a very good upbringing, with strong values. I was brought up in a religious household, going to church and learning the importance of hard work. She tells me sometimes that I need to slow down, but I joke with her that she raised me this way. There was a time I tried school, but it didn’t work out. I was in college for two weeks and left. It wasn’t for me. Obviously, being an entrepreneur is in my blood, and it runs in my family. My grandmother had restaurants and was successful in business. And for me, it’s all about hard work, and that’s what relaxes me, and it usually is so beneficial on many levels,” he noted.
Being new to this industry, Isaacs has been eager to learn while being in contact with more established and knowledgeable people.
“Earlier this year, I was in a boardroom with a very successful person, who is in the food industry, especially when it comes to desserts. He took one of my cookies, ate it, and told me it was good, but it could be better. I was sitting there, and braced myself for what he was going to say next. But he simply gave me some advice on things that we could add, which strayed from the original recipe. I simply responded that it certainly could be possible to make a better cookie than what we have, but it wouldn’t be a Nans Cookie at that point. He agreed with me,” the successful business owner said. “There was another time when I spoke with a person in the industry who was very interested in doing business, but wanted to know how we could compete in this tough market. I basically told him about the story of Nans and how we are 100% Mohawk. How I grew up and who we are. The product that we sell is very important, but the story behind it has to be told and is key to what we do. We are also doing this on the reserve, and working to get the business to scale all from here.”
Nevertheless, the growing success of the business is because of people, as Isaacs maintained.
“I always try to make things fun in any of the businesses that I run, especially involving younger people who want to learn. I always say, if you want to come learn, that’s all I need to know. I’m not really interested in experience in most cases, because we’ll teach you and we will learn together. I’ve had construction-type businesses….[And] there are people now that are better drivers than me on my equipment and excavators, because I have allowed them to just go in and do it along with the proper training,” Isaac said.
Isaacs mentioned Dylan Wolfe, who has worked with him on several businesses, including Nans Cookies.
“I met him in the flight school in Brantford when I was getting my pilot’s license. He helped me, tutoring me and preparing for the written and flying exams. And he’s such a smart young guy, and told him if he was ever looking for another job, to let me know,” the business owner said. “I don’t know how long it was, but he ended up calling me and asking if the offer stood. I said definitely, and since then, he’s come to help run my airstrip [which] I have on my property. He’s also helped build Village Burger, and with my wife’s business up north. And now with Nans Cookies. He’s been invaluable in the growth of several of these businesses.”
However, Isaacs has looked to achieve some key goals for the business in both short and long terms.
“At this point, we’re still at the beginning stages. We are talking with a few different grocery stores, focusing more on B2B and doing a lot of research, finding good people to help us get into these different stores. There’s no doubt we can appeal to people, and get the cookies on the shelves, it’s just getting out there and doing promotions….what we’re planning on doing is getting a food truck and putting it in universities in downtown Toronto,” he explained. “But, I am finding that it’s easier to do events right now. We’re working closely with MontHill Golf and Country Club; they have been buying cookies from us for different events. For our long-term goals, I want to be everywhere and anywhere we can across North America, while continuing to build the brand.”
