The Makers: Courtney Ellis and Jeff Williams

Last fall, Courtney Ellis, a newcomer to Birmingham, was moving his bicycle manufacturing company to the city.

While waiting for the transfer of the products, parts and equipment, Ellis and his wife, Chandra, decided to start the cookie business they had been discussing for the past year.

Ellis developed his special recipe – double chocolate chip walnut cookies – about three years ago.

Since then, family and friends have clamored for his “scrumptious” cookies at every opportunity.

The creators of Caia’s Cookies are Alabama Makers from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

When Ellis said he needed a partner for the venture, his wife mentioned Jeff Williams, who had become a good friend since the family’s move to Birmingham in 2014. Both men shared a passion for cooking – an interest that helped cement their friendship.

“Literally that moment, I got a text message,” Ellis said. “I said to my wife, ‘I feel like that’s Jeff.’ If it’s Jeff, I’m going to take it as a sign from God that we should do this.”

After receiving Williams’ text, Ellis shared his cookie idea with his friend at lunch. Williams enthusiastically agreed to get on board. He had already sampled Ellis’ cookies and was a “huge” fan.

“I had been looking for something therapeutic to occupy my time and get me out of the house,” said Williams, an engineer at Southern Nuclear who is on disability. “I told Courtney, ‘Man, what a novel idea. How hard can it be to make some cookies?’ There is no pressure or stress, I like making things with my hands, and I love cooking.”

Ellis had been toying with the cookie company idea for months. He had developed a website and located the Chef’s Workshop, a Birmingham facility that rents commercial kitchen space to caterers, bakers and other food entrepreneurs who are seeking a low-cost way to start or expand their business.

The two men launched their new enterprise, named for Ellis’ 6-year-old daughter, Caia, several days after that first conversation.

When Ellis and Williams got their business license on Oct. 1, they already had cookie orders. That’s because they had been baking cookies at the Chef’s Workshop and handing out free samples at area businesses.

“The people of Birmingham really embraced us,” said Ellis, noting they sold 5,000 cookies during the holiday season. “If you make something here and you do it with a good heart, people love it.”

Ellis and Williams wear all the hats in their cookie business. Along with baking, they package and ship orders. They also deliver cookies in the Birmingham area.

“Jeff is the perfect partner,” Ellis said. “He knows everyone and knows where to go.”

With the business growing, Williams’ daughters, Jada, 31, and Jasmine, 26, are working with the partners, baking and packaging cookies.

Other family members have stepped in to help, especially during holidays. Williams’ wife, DeValerie, designed signs and props for cookie tastings and has packaged cookies. His mother-in-law, Gwendolyn Harry, assembled several hundred cookie boxes.

Ellis said he created his cookie through trial and error.

“I love to tinker with stuff,” Ellis said. “I just kept tasting things and when I got to the point where I really loved it, I knew I had the right cookie. When it came out of the oven, you had a moist, delicious cookie.”

Ellis and Williams said the secret behind their success is the ingredients.

“Our cookie is homemade,” Williams said. “We use fresh ingredients and no preservatives. They are cookies that grandma would have been proud of.”

Ellis and Williams began cooking as boys.

Jeff Williams (l) and Courtney Ellis (r) of Caia’s Cookies in Birmingham

Williams said he baked his first cake at age 12 and often helped cook meals because his parents held several jobs.

For Ellis, his mom was his mentor in the kitchen.

“My mom just let me play with food as a little kid. She let me mess up,” Ellis said. “Over time, I had a chance to figure out what I love and what I don’t love.”

Ellis and Williams are planning to expand their lineup to include Caia’s chocolate chip cookies without nuts. They are also busily mixing and tasting ingredients, with plans to develop two new cookies – honey-roasted peanut butter and oatmeal with homemade granola.

“Making cookies is therapeutic, and it’s fun,” Ellis said. “At the end of the day, when you make a cookie, and it looks how you want it to look, and you give it to someone else and they love it, that feels good. There’s no pay that compensates for that.”

Ellis and Williams are selling their cookies online and at the Brookwood Hospital gift shop. The tasty treats will be available at Pepper Place when the downtown market opens in the spring.

Although they have been in business for a few months, Ellis and Williams are looking ahead. They want to sell their cookies in small shops in Birmingham. They hope to bring Caia’s Cookie dough to the frozen section of grocery stores nationwide.

“I call this God’s cookie,” Williams said. “We’ve been blessed with this cookie business. There’s nothing better than giving somebody a cookie, and they enjoy it, and you see a smile on their face. For me, that’s the fulfilling part.”

To order, visit Caia’s Cookies. Cookies in boxes of four are $8.49, by the half-dozen $12.49 and by the dozen $23.95. Free delivery is available to customers in the Birmingham area.