Around the Globe Delivers Internationally Inspired Cookies to Your Door

Every culture has its own iteration of the cookie. Some are soft, others are crunchy, but almost all are sweet, blending flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, and even pumpkin spice. At Around the Globe Baking Co., cookies are made to be more than just a simple, bite-size treat. They're a mode to share culture and history.  

Founder Alexandra Golovac, a 27-year-old wellness coach from Merritt Island, says she has always been fascinated with food and its origin. With help from her mother Elena, Golovac began experimenting with small, round, and crunchy cakes. She packed them with flavors from countries around the world. The result was Cuban-inspired guava-infused cookies, Scottish-oatmeal varieties, and Italian-spiced biscotti. 

"Food is a big part of my family," she says. "We're all foodies, and we all have an interest in discovering new types of cooking."

With a career in health, Golovac wanted to find a way to share her love of culture-filled cookies with everyone, regardless of diet. 

"I always hear from people, 'I can't eat desserts,'" she says. "But it's possible to eat something small and sweet, learn about another culture, and not break your diet."

Around the Globe Baking Co., which launched this past September, makes its cookies using organic ingredients, without any preservatives. Right now, handmade cookies, packaged in groups of three, are sold online only ($7.50). All of them are produced in the mother-daughter duo's home kitchen. They plan to transition to a commercial kitchen within the next year, Golovac says.

"It's about connecting people using a cookie," she says. "Every product has its own culture and cuisine associated with it."

Seven flavors are available for purchase, including American chocolate chip, Brazilian coconut, and triple-chocolate Himalayan sea salt. 

"On the back of every product, there's a short history attached to the ingredients," Golovac says. "If you're consuming something, you should know a little bit about it."

On the back of the packaging for the triple-chocolate Himalayan sea salt variety, Golovac explains that the cookie uses salt from the Himalayas dating back more than 800 million years. For her Brazilian coconut cookie, she notes coconut is a staple fruit in Brazilian culture and cuisine.

"I want to slow down your life with these cookies," she says. "We're very on-the-go. These cookies are about sitting and enjoying something." 

Golovac, who holds a master's degree from Boston University in gastronomic studies, says it is now her duty to use her education to teach people through taste. She dreams about opening a storefront one day.

"I'll never say never," she says, "but for now, I'm focused on giving this my all. Passion is an understatement with how I feel about food."

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