The Byrd Cookie Company historically has been a 1924 Savannah tradition when a gentleman by the name of Ben T. Byrd, Senior, began making home-made cookies, packing them in wooden boxes and then peddling them in his Model-T Ford to the Savannah store. Today it is under a third-and-fourth family generation line, while maintaining the image of an old-fashioned Southern bakery.
Dedicated to bringing the latest and innovative gourmet products to customer service, many prestigious awards and honors have been given: Food Distribution Magazine; ADDY for Creative Excellence in Packaging by the American Advertising Association ; Best Packaging presented by Food Distribution Magazine; Best Product Line presented by the NASFT along with Outstanding Cookie and Cracker.
Known for its picture tins of Savannah and gourmet foods, today the Byrd Cookie Company & Gourmet Marketplace is one of the top shopping places for benne wafers, known as "the seed of good luck" in addition to being Savannah's own trademark cookie. Benne wafers are known as the cookie which best represents good ol' fashioned Southern Hospitality, a sesame seed cookie which has sesame as its main ingredient.
Unique to the world since early Colonial times, the word Benne is derived from the East African word "Bantu" for the sesame seed. With a nutty, sweet aroma with a milk-like buttery flavor, the sesame is cholesterol-free while rich in calcium, vitamins B and E , iron, and protein. A world cuisine, the Byrd Cookie Company in Savannah represents the finest of taste and Southern heritage in this special cookie, which is known to bring the best of good luck!!
