Neil Hershman, the owner and CEO of 16 Handles in New York City, has acquired the bakeable cookie dough brand, DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections. Details of the transaction were not disclosed, but Hershman will immediately retain the role of CEO and owner of DŌ. DŌ Founder and Co-Owner Kristen Tomlan will become chief brand officer.
“I started DŌ in a quest to create a worry-free indulgence that I could selfishly eat, bake, and share with others,” Tomlan said in a company press release. “The mission for this brand was always about spreading joy, which has been and always will be my favorite part of the baking process,” she said. “It’s been a dream come true to collaborate with 16 Handles’ New York City locations over the past five years, so expanding the partnership and growing our brands together is exciting for us both. I’m looking forward to this next chapter and being able to continue to spread happiness through these two iconic New York desserts.”
Hershman owns 12 dessert shops, including the 16 Handles Flagship located in Times Square.
“DŌ is one of New York City’s favorite and most unique desserts, and it’s been so popular selling alongside our artisanal frozen yogurt at 16 Handles in the past,” he said in the release. “I’m so excited to take Kristen and my partnership to the next level as we integrate DŌ’s addictive edible cookie dough into the self-serve topping bar and to-go freezer at all of our 16 Handles locations, especially as we continue to expand nationally.”
DŌ will continue to ship its products nationwide through its website, offer customizable gifting, catering and corporate treats, develop pop-up retail locations and sell Tomlan’s cookbook. The stand-alone retail location in Greenwich Village, however, has closed to make room for an increase in e-commerce capacity, and an exclusive lineup of DŌ products will soon be available at all 16 Handles locations.
16 Handles opened its first store in Manhattan’s East Village in 2008, becoming the first self-serve frozen yogurt shop in New York City
