WICHITA – Kansas Girl Scouts will be learning to become leaders and entrepreneurs when they participate in the largest girl-led business in the world: the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

During Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland’s Cookie Sale, which starts Jan. 31 and ends March 8, Kansans will be investing in more than just a tasty treat, spokesman Darcy Gray said. They’re helping local Girl Scouts prepare to become leaders now and in the future as they develop key skills like goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.

The eight Girl Scout Cookie favorites are back – Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Shortbreads and Thanks-A-Lots – but there’s a new addition to the Cookie lineup: the gluten-free Trios. The new Trios consist of delicious chocolate chips nestled in a gluten-free peanut butter oatmeal cookie. Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland is one of the test markets for gluten-free Girl Scout Cookies, as part of a pilot program.

Girl Scout Cookies are available this year for $4 per package, with all of the proceeds staying in Kansas to support Girl Scouting in the 80 counties served by Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. For the first time in more than 10 years, Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland has increased the price from $3.50. Neighboring Girl Scout councils and more than 85 percent of all Girl Scouts councils have already set a retail price above $3.50 per package, Gray said.