Antwain Britt’s gourmet cookie empire started, as almost none do, in a training gym. Having wrestled during highs school and his brief time at college, Britt quit the sport when the realities of adulthood took over. By 27 he was deeply disenchanted: job a dead end, marriage ending.
Time to get back to fighting, he decided. Freshly unemployed, Britt showed up to a training gym midday. He explained to the very skeptical gym owner that he wanted to learn UFC fighting. That evening at 7 p.m., Antwain Britt started with Level One kickboxing.
Even weighing a hundred pounds above his former wrestling weight, he excelled. Within four months Britt won his first tournament. A short time later, he went pro; no fighters were willing to let him continue knocking them out in the first round for free.
Britt had just fought his fourth professional fight when the UFC called: they wanted him on their television show, The Ultimate Fighter. The winner would sign a six-year contract with the UFC: every fighter’s dream. But Britt broke his right hand early in the show, disqualifying him. The loss stung; he had staked his future on winning that contract.
Nevertheless, Britt returned home and when his hand healed, began to fight again. Eventually Strikeforce, a direct competitor of the UFC, reached out and offered Britt an 11-fight deal. He took it, traveling the world for several years as Antwain “The Juggernaut” Britt: a professional MMA fighter.
When his time with Strikeforce ended, Britt felt the now-familiar tug toward new things. After freelancing as a consultant for gyms and emerging MMA programs, Antwain Britt established (and continues to operate) Britt Fitness and Personal Training: first a facility in Virginia Beach, now a second location in the Greenbrier area.
But of course, for a heavy hitter like Antwain Britt, one project wasn’t enough. Despite the health regimen he keeps to maintain his muscular physique, Britt loves sweets: cakes, pies, cookies. Especially cookies. After a big win in his pro-days, the women who trained at his gym would bake him whatever sweets he wanted.
Those Mondays were the best: why would any athlete waste his “cheat day” on something as plebeian as Oreos? After retiring from professional fighting, Britt used his occasional dessert permissions to explore the world’s best treats.
At one point he hit upon a brand of giant, gourmet cookies. When his order came, Britt’s mind spun with curiosity: could he make a cookie that was even better? Less cakey, more chewy? What constitutes the perfect cookie?
In a moment, Juggernaut Cookie Company was born, the name an homage to his MMA days. At first he baked small, personal orders only, unsure if this business would be accepted in a larger context.
But eventually Britt rented a professional kitchen. For six months he baked, tossing out batch after batch until he hit upon the perfect ensemble: five different cookie flavors, each the size of a UFC fighter’s palm.
Online orders opened and Juggernaut, well, juggernaut-ed. With such a huge response to their launch, Britt partnered with a local co-packer able to scale their operation and distribute to local wholesalers in 25 locations. His favorite cookie is the “salty dog”: deep with brown sugar and butterscotch, Himalayan salt anchoring the sweetness. It’s a one-two punch of flavor, especially good paired with an IPA or stout.
Juggernaut Cookie Co. continues innovating. They’ve launched a line of dog treats in memory of Britt’s rescue pit, Marco. One dollar from each bag sold goes to five different rescues, and Britt tries to appear at as many fundraising events for the SPCA as possible.
Antwain Britt won’t stop with Juggernaut Cookie Co., of course. He’s a man with many visions, both for his existing businesses and others to come. But armed with those oversized cookies to fuel him, one has to think: The Juggernaut’s probably going to accomplish them all.
Learn more at JuggernautCookies.com or on social media: @juggernaut_cookie_co.
