McBride’s Munchies: Cookies for a cause

... now that baking cookies is my business, I've started to enjoy baking and experimenting with all my cookies and new flavors that I try along the way!”

Ridge McBride, owner, McBride's Munchies

Ridge McBride is baking up a storm for a good cause.

Ridge, a 6-foot-3-inch, 16-year-old Queen Creek High School student with a big grin, started his business, believe it or not, because of a bidding war.

Ridge grew up with home-baked goods always in his home because of his mother Lisa McBride’s love for baking. One day, he brought a few tubs of homemade cookie dough to school to give to his friends. When he realized he had more friends than cookie dough cups, his friends started bidding -- $1, $3, $8. When Ridge heard this, he realized he could make a good business out of baking cookies.

“So after just a couple of weeks, the whole school figured out I sold cookies and cookie dough and business was booming,” Ridge said.

Several teachers knew about his side gig by the time one teacher finally put an end to it, but that didn’t stop Ridge from continuing to do what he loves. He soon created McBride’s Munchies.

“That helped me decide to start my business on Instagram where I sell all my cookies today,” Ridge said. “It's always fun seeing new followers on my Instagram and meeting them when they make their first order [and come by for pick up].”

Ridge has more 1,000 followers on Instagram and is always posting content that engages followers and increases sales.

 “I might be a little biased about this one, but I would say my business is doing pretty well! I always have consistent orders every week with my weekly 'Bake Days,’” Ridge shared.

Yet Ridge is not your typical teen when it comes to the financials behind his business. He invests in stocks and puts away most of his profit into savings to cover the cost of his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that he will serve after he graduates high school.

“I have had to make some big purchases for me or my business. Some big purchases like a car, mixers, camera equipment, cloth props, ingredients, and of course Spotify Premium for music [to bake to]. Other than that, I just like to save my money for when I need it,” Ridge shared.

It is easy to see that Mrs. McBride has inspired the business habits of almost all of her children.

“My husband owns his own business and I have done several businesses over the years, so I think as our kids watch us they realize they don't have to work for someone ... they can do their own thing and grow it if they want to. Four of our five boys all have their own businesses,” she said. “Ridge is very creative in many ways [and] has the biggest sweet tooth out of all of them (just like his mom), so I think that has been something that he really enjoys.”

Mrs. McBride currently owns and runs a business called Mish Mash, which she started to help pay for her sons’ missions. Missionary service is voluntary. The missionaries or their families pay for their living costs while serving, which is managed by the church.

“I started [Mish Mash] to help pay for my boys’ missions. I wanted them to earn the money for their missions so they would technically be paying for their own mission. But I wanted to give them that money [from Mish Mash] … to help them get a head start when they returned from their missions,” Mrs. McBride said.

Up until July 2020, the monthly cost of missionary living expenses was $400. It is now $500. Men typically serve for two years, meaning to send each of Mrs. McBride’s sons on missions, the total cost for those two years would be $9,600 for each. Three of her five sons served before the price change, but that still leaves two boys. That’s a lot of dough.

“The 'mish' part of Mish Mash represents 'missionaries' or 'missions.' And since I sell a random mish mash of stuff, it seemed fitting,” Mrs. McBride shared. Her business has continued to contribute to missionaries, and not just to her sons’.

Ten percent of all Mish Mash proceeds go to the General Mission Fund of the church to assist other missionaries facing financial hardship. The cause of missionaries has been and will continue to be the motivation behind the family’s businesses.

Ridge plans to serve a mission and is certainly making the most of his time before then.

“At first I think I liked watching other people bake instead of me baking because I didn't have to do any of the work, I just got to eat the cookies,” Ridge said, laughing. “But now that baking cookies is my business, I've started to enjoy baking and experimenting with all my cookies and new flavors that I try along the way! Yeah, baking cookies can sometimes be hard work or time consuming, but it's always worth it.”

 Sarah Hunt is a student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University.