Actually the national Girl Scouts organization licenses 2 cookie manufacturers -- one is a Kellog subsidiary, and the other is a subsidiary of some other larger food maufacturer. Those two then compete for the business of the various regional councils, which are free to choose which to order from. As a result neither manufacturer is in a position to extract an inordinately high price for the cookies it sells to troops. Sometimes older Girl Scouts are brought along to participate in negotiations with the manufacturers, to learn some business basics.
You are much more informed than I. I am just a skeptic by nature. What is the GSA cut per box?