Local Twisted Sugar franchisees, Katie and Russ Forsberg, plan on opening another three locations in the Valley through 2024, as well as one slightly further afield in Show Low.
The slate of new stores begins next spring in Surprise at 13536 N Prasada Pkwy, followed by another spring opening at 5171 Club Lake Rd in Show Low. By early 2024, Twisted Sugar will be joining the upcoming Pebble Creek Village Marketplace at 15611 W McDowell Rd in Goodyear, before the husband-and-wife team launches a storefront at the corner of I-17 and Dove Valley Rd in North Phoenix.
The Forsberg’s began their Twisted Sugar journey in 2021 when they opened their first store in Russ Forsberg’s hometown of Peoria. Since then, they’ve become an integral part of the community, serving as not only a destination for sweet treats but also a safe gathering spot and initial foray into the working world for many local high schoolers.
“The Peoria community has been so awesome,” Katie Forsberg tells What Now Phoenix. “One of the biggest things we love is our employees. We love the amazing employees that we have and the opportunity we have to work with a lot of high school students.”
Forsberg goes on to say that her daughter, who attends the nearby Liberty High School, recently canvassed Twisted Sugar’s employees, asking for photographs that can be used in the school’s yearbook for a spot honoring the cookie shop as a popular hangout.
“It’s definitely been a fun, community-involved go-to place for treats and it’s been super fun to be involved with that,” says Katie Forsberg.
Twisted Sugar, which was founded in 2016, is a growing brand that specializes in handcrafted cookies, sodas, and signature shakes dubbed “twisters.” Each store is responsible for baking its own inventory of 20 different cookie varieties – as well as the cookie of the month – fresh, every day, using regionally sourced ingredients and never a prepackaged mix that’s shipped in.
“We are very proud of the product that we have,” says Forsberg, adding, “We have an amazing baker who does a fabulous job.”
