The Denver Company That Makes Starbucks' Iconic Cake Pops

Starbucks didn't always have Cake Pops on its menus of pastries and sweet treats, but thanks to one Rocky Mountain-based business, cake bites in lollipop form have become a fixture among the coffee stores. Starbucks has made an intention to partner with companies owned by minority groups, and Steven Charles fits the bill. Steven Charles – A Dessert Company (formerly Steven Robert Original Desserts, or SROriginals) supplies cakes and desserts to big businesses and ships its high-quality recipes across the nation. Led by Steven Fabos and Charles Kosmont, the team has successfully created a brand that uses fine ingredients to make quality desserts on a larger scale. With cakes, cookies, cake balls, cake bars, and cake pops made in-house, the operation is a seriously sweet one to oversee.

Since the 1970s, Fabos had baked cheesecakes for Western states, but when Venezuelan-born Kosmont purchased a little over half of the company, the team applied for and gained minority supplier status, eventually attracting the eye of Starbucks executives.

Steven Charles' firm dedication to inclusion is a core element of the company's ethos. "Our commitment to race, gender, orientation, age, and experience inclusion is baked into our innovative culture," the company website proclaims. A majority of Steven Charles' chief positions are held by women, and the hiring department seeks to fill open roles keeping collaboration, diversity, and innovation in mind. These efforts resonated with the diversity initiatives at Starbucks, and since 2010, the coffee chain has ordered Steven Charles' Cake Pops to stock its pastry cases. Steven Charles now boasts locations in Colorado and North Carolina, and the business' diverse lineup of employees manages warehouses, conducts research and development, and supervises existing operations. 

If you're feeling inspired to create a bit of cake magic in your own home, our pumpkin spice cake pops recipe can bring sweet nibbles into your kitchen and cure any cake cravings you have in fun bite-sized pieces — without you needing to leave the house to visit your local coffee store.