At 23, Caroline McGinley moved from Jupiter, FL, to Montevideo, Uruguay, to become an English teacher. While living in her shared residence, she quickly bonded with her roommates from Uruguay, Venezuela, and Cuba, by spending most of their time in the kitchen: eating, laughing, playing guitar, and cooking their favorite meals. For Caroline, this meant baking family cookie recipes. Loving her cookies so much, they convinced her to start selling them, and about a year later she decided to develop her own recipes and start La Gringuita cookies. Right out of her apartment.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Caroline, now 25, left Uruguay to be closer to family in Jupiter. Not knowing what to expect, she started her new venture making stuffed cookies for friends and family in the neighborhood. This quickly turned into a stand within the local food truck area in Jupiter Heights and scaled to multiple green markets, gourmet markets, and chain retail stores in the South Florida Area.

Almost four years later, La Gringuita Cookies can be found in over 30 stores across Palm Beach County, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami including Whole Foods Markets and Miliams. She also sells her cookies online for visitors who can't get them back home.