EXCLUSIVE
A baby-faced schoolboy from Sydney’s eastern suburbs could be unmasked as the mastermind behind the Crumbl cookie pop-up that sparked outrage this week.
Westbourne College Year 12 student Toby Joshua, 18, and older brother Noah, 21, are the entrepreneurs who caused hours-long queues for fans of the American sweet treat.
Hundreds queued outside their makeshift shop in North Bondi on Sunday to buy the famous biscuits, but were shocked by the price of $17.50 per biscuit.
That shock turned to anger when customers claimed the cookies were imported, which the brothers brought in bulk from Hawaii, and not freshly baked.
The young duo of would-be businessmen later wiped out their social media page and defended their actions, stating that they had not broken any laws.
On Wednesday, Daily Mail Australia tracked down Toby, the registered owner of the Sugar Party AU company behind the venture, at his family home in the city’s east.
But the brothers’ mother, Lauren Joshua, refused to answer questions about the reaction to their $4 million Bellevue Hill mansion, slamming the door on reporters.
Toby Joshua (photo in 2019, 13 years old) and his brother Noah are behind Sugar Party AU and organized the sale
The crumb cookies flown in from Hawaii by the brothers sold for $17.50 each
The pair had previously responded on social media on Tuesday to ‘the drama surrounding the event’, stating that they had sold ‘real Crumbl biscuits’.
“We traveled to the US to purchase the cookies and imported them in our original packaging,” they stated.
‘We didn’t bake them ourselves.’
They argued that they had maintained the quality of the cookies during the trip.
“Crumbl cookies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, or refrigerated for up to seven days,” they said.
‘We have held them to these requirements.
‘Some were reheated to enhance the texture, which is what Crumbl does.
The boys’ mother, Lauren Joshua, declined to answer questions about the backlash against their $4 million Bellevue Hill mansion in Sydney’s east
Toby and older brother Noah, 21 (pictured) are the entrepreneurs who caused hours-long queues for fans of the American sweet treat
“While most customers enjoyed the cookies, a few influencers felt they did not meet expectations.
‘We apologize for not meeting expectations; But at the end of the day, they’re just cookies.”
The brothers’ Sugar Party AU is an online confectionery store with hard-to-find lollipops sourced from all over the world, operating from the North Bondi trophy shop where the Crumbl sale was held.
The pair said the event was ‘never about profit’ and claimed they spent $4,000 on flights and luggage, $6,000 on cookies and packaging, $2,000 on duties, taxes and customs fees and more than $1,000 on staff.
The luxurious family home of Toby Joshua, a 12-year-old student at Westbourne College
The brothers’ Sugar Party logo was on display at the makeshift biscuit shop in North Bondi
The Crumbl Cookie wrappers were all over the Sugar Party AU store
It is believed they sold 700 of the imported cookies at $17.50 each, for a total possible proceeds of $12,250.
The pair denied using Crumbl’s trademarks in their TikTok videos and they “never claimed to be an official Crumbl store.”
‘This was clearly stated [our] bio and our comments. Our goal was to bring authentic Crumbl cookies to Australia by importing the cookies directly from the US,” they wrote.
The American company, founded in 2017, did not endorse the pop-up in Sydney.
Founder Sawyer Hemsley broke his silence on TikTok that the pop-up store was “not affiliated” with Crumbl, but when he saw how many people came, it became clear that “we need to accelerate our visit to Australia.”