These Cookies Send a Message

Telegram Cookies began with a search for the perfect gift. Georges Duverger wanted something customizable, easy to give and environmentally friendly to share. Cookies seemed the perfect answer to this ex-tech professional. “The cookie is an easy gift. You’re not going to go wrong. And if you go wrong, it’s not that big of a deal,” he said.

The company launched in Arlington, Massachusetts in December 2022, but Duverger had begun experimenting with ideas, cookie recipes and stamping mechanisms starting in January, 2022. He was inspired by les papillotes – chocolate candies containing a message which were a favorite tradition from his childhood in Grenoble, France. Translating this practice to an American audience meant a switch to stamped butter cookies.

As a former engineer, the precision of baking appeals to Duverger. “It’s about quantity, it’s about processes, it’s about doing the same thing again, every time. For the better part of a year I just tried a lot of recipes, changing the ratio of one ingredient compared to the other and iterated many, many, many times.” Eventually he amended his favorite Petit Beurre recipe, adding ideas he’d gleaned from Scottish shortbread to create a cookie that could display a message and taste great. (Flavors include butter and lemon.)

Individual stamps create the messages on his cookies, but he plans to expand his operation with a 3D printer. He hopes to use this machine to create full messages that can be stamped into each cookie. After use, the stamps will be able to be recycled to make new messages.

The next thing on his agenda is developing a gluten-free version of the cookies. Duverger said there’s been a lot of demand for that. Also important, he notes: Respecting the planet. That’s why his packaging is as eco-friendly as possible.