Magnolia Bakery
Dining · 50+ locations · NYC, Chicago, LA, plus franchised locations in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Turkey, and the Philippines
The Sex and the City cupcake shop still trades on its West Village charm, but both founders are decades gone and private investment firm RSE Ventures bought the whole company in 2021. Growth now runs through franchising and grocery shelves.
The Big Picture
The bakery that set off the national cupcake craze has had no founder involved in roughly two decades. Growth now runs through international franchise partners and a packaged banana-pudding line in more than 2,000 grocery stores, yet the company discloses nothing about its suppliers or environmental footprint. It has answered to RSE Ventures, the private investment firm that bought it outright, since 2021.
The Dirty Details
Ownership
RSE VenturesPrivate Equity
RSE Ventures is a New York private investment firm co-founded in 2012 by Hudson Yards developer Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins, investing across sports, media, food, and lifestyle brands; its wider portfolio has included Momofuku and VaynerMedia. On Ferret it appears as Magnolia Bakery's outright owner since 2021 and a minority investor in Bluestone Lane since 2018.
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Company data last updated August 2026
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