Krispy Kreme

Driving down the road, a red neon light flashes on that catches your eye- Hot Now, the sign reads original glazed Krispy Kreme. If you've ever experienced a warm, melty Krispy Kreme donut, then you know there is no going back. How did two brothers in Winston Salem set out to make the most awesome donuts on the planet? Let's take a coffee break at the table and find out.

I'm Lainie and I'm Laura Beth and we are Steel Magnolias, the strength of steel with the grace of a magnolia. We are here to have uplifting conversations about life in the South, and we've got plenty of room at our table, so pull up a chair.

Oh boy, are we going to have some mouths watering on this episode? Oh, yeah. I mean, it's going to be very hard to not get hungry for a doughnut on this one. But well, I

have a funny already. Okay. So, Rachel, who's here from France via England, who stayed with me. She asked me last night. What's your episode on tomorrow? And I said, Oh, it's on a southern food chain of a donut place called Krispy Kreme. Oh my gosh, I love Krispy Kreme. We have Krispy Kreme. That's so fun. It is International. You see what I'm saying though? When it first started, it was just Southern and then it's not anymore. So she didn't even know it was Southern. I bet a lot of people didn't. I think we're gonna uncover a lot of things today that I didn't know that a lot of people probably don't know. I just wanted to throw that out because I thought, oh, it's fun to have international eyes sometimes. It's true. Like, Oh, you already know about your like

our doughnuts and you have access to really good bakeries.

Right, that says a lot. I mean, chocolate croissant in France, or Krispy Kreme donut, I'm having a hard time deciding.  If it's

warm. 

Okay. Before we jump in to our topic, I wanted to make sure that our friends listening knew that we launched a second podcast, a busy second show. It's called, Have Love,  Will Travel. It's a brand new show that is available on all podcast platforms just like you find us, you can find it anywhere you like to get podcasts. And we created the show in partnership with the Access More podcasts network. So you can also find it through the Access More app. But instead of us rattling on about it, I just thought we'd go ahead and play the trailer for you all so you can get a feel for what to expect. So here's the trailer.

Access more. Hey, y'all, this is Lainie and Laura Beth, and Welcome. To have love we'll travel. We're two sisters who believe that God is doing amazing things in places and people everywhere we go. In this podcast, we aim to share some recent travel stories ranging from cultural explorations and friends we met on some of our travels, to God winks that only he could orchestrate. We let the Holy Spirit be our guide in making the itinerary. And sit back, see God in the details and learn from all the conversations we have with those who cross our paths. Basically, we wanted to travel in a way that honored God while having some serious fun meeting people, eating amazing food and exploring different cities. Be sure to subscribe to access more, or wherever you get podcasts. So you never miss an episode. We're excited to have y'all come along for the journey. This is Have love, will travel so there you go. That's why we traveled like crazy this summer. I mean, we were road warriors. We hit it hard there for about what six, eight weeks, for sure. May June, July, we were really really traveling. And there are now three episodes that you can listen to including an episode on Charleston, which just released the day this episode is coming out. And we released an episode already on Memphis and we had an intro episode as well. So and start with the intro, start with we already talked to a couple people that because Memphis was at the top the top they didn't listen to the intro and I think you should start with the intro for sure. I mean, y'all know so you don't really need a full introduction of us but you probably don't Know, the travel side of us and even deeper faith levels of us? I wouldn't think so. Check it out. Let us know what you think we would love to hear any feedback you've got. Okay, so heading over to Winston Salem, North Carolina where 85 years ago this year Krispy Kreme sold their first donut. But we actually need to back it up it's it's gonna really climax in Winston Salem, but there's some history that we’ve got to cover before that more southern history.

So in 1933, Vernon Rudolph, the founder of Krispy Kreme, he bought a donut shop in Paducah, Kentucky, from a French chef from New Orleans, and when he made that purchase, he received the company's assets, goodwill, and their rights to a secret yeast raised donut recipe. Yes Lord. Very important. That recipe is currently locked in a vault at the company headquarters in Winston Salem, North Carolina. But we'll get to more on that later. It wasn't long before Vernon and his brother partner decided to look for a larger market. They moved their operations to right here in Nashville, where other members of their family joined the business. They opened shops in Charleston, West Virginia and Atlanta. And at this time, the business was focused on selling donuts wholesale to

a local grocery, nobody coming up to buy a dozen. Yes, this is exactly what grocery store.

Yes. So during the early summer of 1937, Vernon received or decided to leave Nashville to open his own donut shop. And he and a couple of other young men set off in a 1936. Pontiac and arrived in Winston Salem, with $25 in cash, a few pieces of donut making equipment, the secret recipe, and the name Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. They used the $25 to rent a building, which was across from Salem Academy and College in what is now the historic Old Salem. And with little money to buy ingredients. They actually convinced a nearby grocer to lend them the ingredients in return for payment once the first doughnuts were sold. That is so cool. So and I also had read I'm not sure if you read they even picked Winston Salem because they were smokers. I'm saying they it's mostly Vernon Rudolph, the president and founder here. He was a smoker. And he saw while smoking one day on a pack of his like Camel cigarettes. That tobacco production was in Winston Salem. And he was like, I need a good factory. Like he he somehow thought they must know production legs. Yeah, because he knew it was going to need to be on mass scales at some point. So now I also think it's interesting to point out here like we're in depression. Yes. Like that's to starting starting a new business. That's for something that is I'm gonna say frivolous in the sense of it's not like you need it to stay alive, right? Is the snack category. And even further than that, they're talking about really pioneering a new type of donut because at the time, the cake style donut is what people would have considered a donut. Yeah. I did think it was pretty cool though. I saw that in 1934. The World's Fair named the donut the food of the century.

That's so funny. Was that the Chicago World’s Fair? I think, that sounds right. That does tell you it's not that donuts were like an unknown and he's really like trying to pull them up from the ashes or anything like that. But like to your point, but it's the depression Yeah. So should we really be using the potatoes that we have which the original recipe does contain potato. I do know that. Should we be using that with yeast for a doughnut or do we need porridge to stay alive? Some soup tonight? Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, the actual recipe contains potato. It has a cream base added and when you add to flour, and when it's fried. It turns crispy. And so hence the name Krispy Kreme. That's why they crispy and cream that's why they came up with it like that. So here we are over in Winston Salem. They start I'm making some donuts. They're making them by hand. And they even I thought this so they’re looking different, like they're not all very uniform like they are now. Yeah, I mean, and I even heard when he's taken these doughnuts to different grocers in town. He had to take the back seat out of that. Pontiac, I told you, he drove over to North Carolina and install a delivery rack. Oh, wow. Can you imagine this car? Also, can you imagine this smell in the car?

Yes. So again, what's interesting about these brothers is that they originally set out to do wholesale. But what ended up happening is that workers and people in the area nearby factories and that work over at the academy. They're smelling that smell the doughnuts and come knocking on the door and want to purchase and they're going, Oh, you got to go to the grocery store. That's how you can buy them. And then they're going, we're missing an opportunity here. What are we doing? So they cut a hole in the wall, literally, punch a hole in the wall and start selling donuts directly to customers marking the beginning of their retail. I got to say just real quick. There is an incredible documentary series that the History Channel put together called, The Food that built America. They've got about 30 episodes on different foods, okay, that were like the other one I've watched was on popcorn. So they went did a deep dive on into Orville Redenbacher. Okay, and the 30 years that he spent trying to get the kernel to pop larger, because at the time, they would all pop so small and y'all probably had popcorn, pop small. You're just like, why does this look different? Well, it all looked that way. When he was trying to make popcorn Fuller, and this was even before airy. This was before microwave popcorn too, this is stovetop. Anyway, that's a fascinating one. But I bet they're all fascinating one and there is one on doughnuts. Okay. And they Krispy Kreme spas. Yes. No, they do a comparison of Krispy Kreme and Dunkin donuts. Okay. And they talk about the genesis of both of those and kind of where they started criss crossing and competition and who excelled at what and yeah, it's fabulous. I'll link to it in the show notes. So you don't go so well with coffee. I mean, they just do.

But I think it was really Dunkin Donuts that pushed that, that really said Coffee Break. Like I think they're the ones that even kind of coined the term coffee break. So it's interesting to see Yeah, just how these things that you just always thought were Yeah, how they came to be. You're like, No, I guess everybody didn't always have watercooler discussions and coffee breaks. And yeah, so anyway, but Okay, so back to Vernon and his brother, they set out to make the most awesome doughnuts on the planet every single day. And that is still their mission today. So here they find themselves selling directly to the customer now. And that started going well, so much. So in 1948, they had seven locations. But what you had just alluded to a minute ago was seven locations means they can't be in all seven places at once. Right? And they started seeing their doughnuts didn't look the same. Yeah. And all these seven places. So do you enter the equipment because they're gonna formulate.

So in search for consistency. Vernon literally comes up with this machine called he calls it the Ring King Jr. Yeah. And it could produce about 60 dozen doughnuts in an hour. And it was used until the late 1960s. You can actually go see one of these in the National Museum of American History in DC. I just saw a picture of I did too. I would love take that was I saw it on an article in the Smithsonian. So yeah, so that helped get the sizing the same and, you know, start sending them down the conveyor belt. And if you have that's important when you're getting into franchising, like having everything like I know what I'm gonna get when I go to this place. Yes. And so even this machine again, so first he had to kind of knock a hole in the wall to really start selling to the customer Yeah, a doughnut hole in the wall. But then he's got this new machine so people are curious about that. He is an innovative guy. So, now they don't just want to come directly to him for the doughnuts, but they want to see the process because they're, I guess word is out that there's like something cool to see. Yeah, he's like people want to see this you know? Okay. And that is part of the wonderful I think, in store experience today. Yes. Exact Krispy Kreme is coming in and getting to see those that machine at work and cool about seeing how it works. Yeah, I

think I read that it's about an hour from the inception the dough through the, the glazing process, okay. But you can stand there, and I just think watching any portion of it. But I mean, don't go in hungry. If you don't want to watch that. Glazer, go back and forth and back and forth over the doughnuts. So yeah, so that is part of the fun experience of going to a Krispy Kreme and getting to go inside and not just drive through the window they used to do you remember, they used to have this cute 1950s Looking vintage paper hat? Oh, yes. I don't know if they give those out anymore. But that was cute to this. So it was just kind of as a nod to, you know, where they came from their roots in the era that they came from. What else? Well, 1976 Well, we 1973 was when the original owner passes away. Yeah, right. Yes. So pretty young, late. 50s. Yeah, I don't know what happened. But yeah, his he was very young. And then in 1976, the company was reorganized in Beatrice foods company purchased the firm. So that was one of the first, you know, major changes, since it wasn't under him anymore. But in 1980, the company grew to 116 stores by 1980. You know, good growth was happening. And then 1982 A group of investors, they buy Krispy Kreme for $22 million. Wow. So, I mean, it's continued to change over the years. I don't know that we need to go year by year with all the changes. It went public. Right in 2000. I believe it was. Yeah, it was. And they had I would say, the the kind of the most public years of Krispy Kreme where like the 90s Like there was a lot that started spreading from the Yeah. And the south. The movies start including some, some different Ally McBeal. She there was something about the Krispy Kreme donut. Like there's different kind of like little storylines that would occasionally throw in a Krispy Kreme because Dona it was starting to get found out by others the first outside of the South store. It was in 1995. Do you know where that was? No, Indianapolis. Oh, fun. That's so fun. And then in 1996, the first New York City outlet Okay, there. Yeah. And I remember you know, you It's funny how different headlines capture your attention or things you hear about in pop culture, but I remember Madonna, there was something about Madonna was like, when are we getting a Krispy Kreme in New York City? Are you serious? That's so fun. Anyway. Love that. That all that kind of stuff goes. Okay, so then what else? The first West Coast store was in 1999. That was out in La Habra, California. Okay. But I mean, now they’re international. I think what we mentioned on the front end of this episode, which is just again, part of the goodness and brilliance of this brand, when Krispy Kreme first open up if you wanted hot donuts, you had to get there at dawn. Yeah, right. Yeah. And like most bakeries, that's not a Krispy Kreme thing that's a donut shop or any sort of hot bread and hot it's made it four in the morning. So be there if you want it warm or hot, that's when you need to be in line. And so once they could crank it out, though, a little more efficiently. Yes.

And so in again back just real quick to the 90s than a 92 the game changing hot donuts now sign was installed signaling people at different points during the day not just early morning that a fresh batch was coming. That's so fun. And that was that mean? Who who doesn't want a warm donut. So I think this is kind of, I don't know, it's simple. Sometimes, you know, we just loan for the nostalgia around here, but you still can see the light. Come on. Yep. As you pass by. Fast forward to today, you can actually look on the app to see when, that is cheating, to see when the local store near you is going to have their warmness coming out. But yeah, it's, it really is just one of those things that is, if you know, you know, right, if you know, you know, are you just a plain glazed? Classic. Yeah. And in fact, I will say this. I took my son this past weekend, just to go have fresh experience there. I built it all up. I was like, Now, we're gonna go. I said, Have I taken you to this donut shop before? He's five and he said, I don't know. Is this the one with the orange and pink letters?

Oh, my gosh, are ya? Are you pink letters? And I was like, No, that's Dunkin Donuts. This is the one where you can go inside and you can see I'm making the donuts. And so I built it up, get their dining room closed. Oh, no. So just beware as is happening with a lot of the country. They're having trouble finding staff to work. And then like, so that was like, hard thing number one. Number two, I met the drive thru and I'm like the hot signs not on Okay, so it's not going to be hot, right. So we want four glazed doughnuts, we don't have glazed I was like you don't have glazed, why are you even open? Vernon may have just turned over in his grave. So not only were they not able to have the dining room open, but they have they had supply chain issues. And they have low staff that they can't even get some glazed doughnuts cranking to hand through the drive thru window. So, we need to be praying for that's just the case with so many different restaurants and businesses right now. I don't understand it. But I know I don't understand it at all. Well, you can even I mean, I know in our grocery store, you can still get Krispy Kremes there. They're not going to be hot. Yes. You hope that you're gonna get when you go to the actual location. And gas stations, a lot of times around here will have them.  They've even gotten into you know, other coffee and things that are shelved items. I even was looking for something in TJ Maxx over the weekend and I saw some you know how they'll have random food items. I had some Krispy Kreme stuff in there. Like, like coffees and okay.

I didn't know he meant like a jar or something. Okay. Yeah. So interesting. While the big news continue to expand, and then they're in the news literally the last day or two. Yeah. You want me to talk about Yeah, do it? Well, they're partnering with McDonald's. The fast food chain is going to be kind of practicing trying something new. Yes. test market. It was just announced literally October 18. That they are going to offer three of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, including the original glazed at in the Louisville Kentucky market. Just in surrounding that area. I think it's nine McDonalds locations. So if you are in Derby City and want to swing through and get good McDonald's coffee and yummy Krispy Kreme donut, so they're three options.

They're making them at local Krispy Kremes and driving them to McDonald's. That is so bizarre to me. But I don't know there's so if it does, well, I mean, this is just a small scale test to see how it does. But if it goes well it could happen in other McDonald's. So kind of an interesting thing they're going to try out, so Louisville people. Check it out. 

Well, I have three fun facts before we finish up here three fun facts to give you about Krispy Kreme. Their stores across North America produce more than 5 million donuts per day and more than 2 billion donuts per year. Lawd, have mercy. typical Krispy Kreme store produces more than 3000 Doughnuts per hour, not the one I went to. But typically, Krispy Kreme produces enough donuts in about a week. To make a line of donuts from New York City to Los Angeles. Wow the whole chain,  just picture that. There's your mic drop, or your donut drop. Yes, well you know who knows if you listening are near one of those hot signs but it's it's got a really fun history so we're very southern and now international That's right we thought that would be a fun light subject to cover today.

Okay, well, let's go get some coffee. Coffee, donut anyone?

Have a great week y'all and again if you get a chance go over and check out our new show half love will travel. We'll link to it in the show notes so that you have an easy time finding that jump in the car with us. Yeah. Until then. Peace be with you, and also with y’all.