Krispy Kreme's secret history, surprising facts you might not know

There's a hole lot to learn

Krispy Kreme has been going strong for over eight decades – and it continues to be one of the most coveted brands in the world. But even though there are stores pretty much everywhere these days, how much do you really know about the company and its melt-in-the-mouth treats? Here, we reveal some little-known Krispy Kreme facts that may surprise you, from what exactly was in the first Original Glazed recipe to how to bag yourself a free donut.

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover everything you ever wanted to know about Krispy Kreme – counting down to the most surprising fact of all.

31. Krispy Kreme started in Kentucky

Though most people believe Krispy Kreme got its start in North Carolina, its story really began in Nashville, Tennessee. A just-out-of-college Vernon Rudolph went to help out at his uncle Ishmael Armstrong’s general store in Kentucky in the early 1930s. But after a few years, the family decided to sell up, move south, and set up a donuts-only shop in the bigger city in hope of finding more business.

30. The first shop opened in Nashville

Rudolph and Armstrong opened a store on Gallatin Road called the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Company. As the name suggests, they abandoned the general store concept and focused solely on selling donuts. The store was so successful that Rudolph's father soon quit his job in Kentucky to enter into the donut business.

29. Vernon Rudolph was inspired by Camel

After a few years working for his family in Nashville, Rudolph wanted to branch out. In 1937, he started looking for a location to open his own donut shop. He considered setting up his store in Emporia, Illinois, but he thought better of the idea at the last minute. In picking the ultimate location for his shop, Rudolph took inspiration from Camel – which was based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

28. The company started as a wholesale business

When Rudolph first set himself up, Krispy Kreme was a wholesale donut factory that sold only to grocery stores. However, the scent of freshly baked donuts wafting from the building meant the operation didn’t stay secret. The young businessman had passersby knocking on the door asking if they could buy whatever he was baking. In fact, so many people came to enquire that Rudolph cut a window into the building so customers could buy the hot treats straight out of the fryer.

27. It expanded in the 1940s and 1950s

The donut shop expanded into a chain in the 1940s and 1950s, with family-owned franchises opening across the Carolinas. By the late 1950s, there were Krispy Kreme stores in 12 states, all with the same factory-retail layout that allowed visitors to see the hot donuts being made by hand in the back. The delicious donuts were displayed in a glass case at the front of each store, too.

26. It owes its consistency to the Ring King

In the 1940s, each of the mostly family-owned Krispy Kreme franchises was producing slightly different donuts despite following the same recipe. To solve the problem of consistency, Vernon Rudolph built a central plant that distributed a dry ingredients mix to all of the stores – and he installed an identical donut-making machine inside each store, too. The conveyor-belt contraption was called the Ring King, and an updated version is still used today.

25. There’s a waterfall of warm sugar glaze

These days, to make the brand's signature Original Glazed donuts, a yeast dough goes through an air-pressurised machine, which shapes it into perfectly puffed rings. It’s allowed to prove for 30 minutes before being fried in vegetable shortening – all while moving along the conveyor belt. Once cooked, the donuts travel through a waterfall of warm sugar glaze to ensure an even finish. 

24. An Original Glazed donut takes an hour to make

From start to finish, the donut-making process takes approximately one hour. That includes 33 minutes of preparation and frying time, plus 25 minutes of icing and cooling time. While the Original Glazed donuts are mostly made by machine, the jelly and iced donuts need to be filled and decorated by hand.

23. It's helped raise millions for worthwhile causes

For a bake sale like no other, Krispy Kreme supplies bulk orders of donuts at 50% off for people raising money for registered charities. Set up in 1955, its fundraising division has assisted countless schools, sports teams, churches, charities, and community organizations to 'raise some dough' for more than half a century. According to its website, the brand helped raise approximately $37m in 2022.

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22. The logo is referred to as a bow tie

Ever wondered what the Krispy Kreme logo is meant to be? It was trademarked in 1955 after being designed by local architect Benny Dinkins in the shop’s green and red colors for the original store on South Main Street in Old Salem. The iconic design is referred to as the bow tie, and it's never changed. 

21. The green tiles arrived in the 1960s

A Krispy Kreme shop, with its red, white, and green color scheme, is instantly recognizable from miles away, but it wasn’t always that way. The distinctive green-roofed stores only came into play in the 1960s, as the chain continued to expand. This was when the famed brand's heritage road signs also appeared.

20. It's no longer family owned

Though it still has a family-run feel, Krispy Kreme is no longer family-owned. After its founder passed away in the 1970s, the donut brand was bought in 1976 by Beatrice Foods Company, which also owned the Tropicana, Jolly Rancher, Milk Duds, and Dannon brands. However, a group of early franchisees bought it back in 1982, and from 2016 to 2021, Krispy Kreme was a public company owned by German corporation JAB Holdings. It's now publicly traded and has been listed on Nasdaq since July 2021.

19. It had its heyday in the 1990s

In the 1990s, Krispy Kreme integrated into American popular culture, and everyone wanted a bite. It featured on Sex and the City, made regular appearances on the legal comedy Ally McBeal, and had its film debut in Primary Colors, starring John Travolta. Former president Bill Clinton even had some Krispy Kreme donuts delivered to the White House while he was in office.

18. Krispy Kreme can make 12,000 donuts per hour

Your average Krispy Kreme store can pop out about 3,000 donuts per hour. That sounds mighty impressive, until you learn that the bigger stores can produce as many as 12,000 donuts per hour! That's much more than when the donuts were hand-cut back in the day; a speedy hand-cutter could only make around 1,440 treats per hour. 

17. Some stores make 20 million donuts per year

At a Krispy Kreme store, the machine turns on at 4am and begins to churn out hot donuts. At a single location, approximately 22,000 are made every day – and 16 million every year. Some of the busiest stores make a whopping 20 million a year, while the company as a whole sold an inconceivable 1.63 billion donuts in 2022.

16. Krispy Kreme doesn't just sell donuts

The core focus of Krispy Kreme's business is, of course, donuts, but it also does a fine line in coffee. Outside of coffee and donuts, though, Krispy Kreme in Canada offers other breakfast items such as bagels, muffins, and croissants. But if you're waiting for Krispy Kreme sandwiches and burgers, you may be waiting for quite some time...

15. You can now dunk one in your McFlurry

In March 2024, Krispy Kreme announced plans to roll out its products at select McDonald's locations across the US, beginning in Kentucky. While they won't be made on-site at McDonald's, customers will be able to pick up Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, and filled Chocolate Iced donuts alongside their coffees (or perhaps with a McFlurry to dip them in). A full rollout across the USA is hoped to be completed by 2026.

14. The Hot Now light was a game changer

In 1992, the game-changing Hot Now light was installed in stores, signaling to passersby when a fresh batch was coming out of the fryer. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and the brand's app will tell you when your local store is serving donuts fresh from the fryer – although you can still see the light in stores.

13. Krispy Kreme went international in 2001

The first green-tiled store to open outside of the United States opened in Mississauga, Canada in 2001. When the brand subsequently launched in Montreal in 2003, the Hot Now sign had to be translated into French. International stores in Sydney and London soon followed. Now you’ll also find Krispy Kreme stores across Asia and the Middle East, and in countries including Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Turkey.

12. The donuts have many celebrity fans

Krispy Kreme has lots of famous fans. Former president Barack Obama famously visited a store in Tampa, Florida, in 2012 and picked up three dozen assorted donuts to give to local firefighters. Meanwhile, retired basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal bought a Krispy Kreme franchise in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2016 – and Madonna and Beyoncé are also known to enjoy a donut or two.

11. There was once a Krispy Kreme donut worth $1,388

What goes into a $1,388 donut? The costly creation took three days to make and went on sale in Selfridges, London, in 2014 to benefit the UK's Children’s Trust charity. Its ingredients included vintage Dom Pérignon Champagne jelly, 24-carat gold leaf, a 23-carat gold-dusted Belgian white chocolate lotus flower, and edible 'diamonds.' It was also served above a 500-year-old Courvoisier and 2002 Dom Pérignon raspberry-passion fruit cocktail. A $50 version of the pricey sweet treat went on sale at the same time. 

10. Krispy Kreme donuts are kosher and Halal

The company states that all the ingredients supplied to its stores for its donuts from its mixing plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina are kosher. Every store is supplied by the central plant – so, while some individual stores aren't certified kosher or Halal, Krispy Kreme donuts are suitable for those following kosher or Halal diets, as all the ingredients come from the same place.

9. There’s an official Krispy Kreme challenge

If intense physical activity combined with scoffing donuts sounds like your idea of fun, this might be the challenge for you. Every year, North Carolina State University hosts a contest where participants have to run five miles through the town of Raleigh and consume a dozen donuts in under an hour. The event has been running since 2004, and all the donations go to the UNC Children’s Hospital.

8. Krispy Kreme has approximately 1,400 retail shops

Krispy Kreme has 1,400 retail stores across more than 30 countries. It’s a surprisingly small number when you think of how widely the brand is known – and when you compare it to other fast food chains such as Dunkin’ Donuts (which has more than 13,000 stores) and McDonald’s (which has more than 41,000 stores). However, what it lacks in size, it makes up for with cult status.

7. Leftover Krispy Kreme donuts are made into pig feed

Ever wondered what happens to imperfect Krispy Kreme donuts, or any that don’t get sold before the end of the day? They certainly aren’t saved and resold the next day. The majority are sent off to be made into animal feed, specifically pig fodder, while the rest are recycled for energy regeneration.

6. You can bag yourself a free donut

If you want to grab yourself a Krispy Kreme donut for free – and let's face it, who doesn't? – all you have to do is sign up for its app. New members of Krispy Kreme's Rewards program will automatically get a free donut added to their account. Meanwhile, existing members can earn Smiles to put towards free fried goods, or wait to get a free birthday treat on their birthdays. 

5. The first retail-only store opened in 1989

Despite being a thing since the 1930s, Krispy Kreme didn't open its first retail-only store until 1989. The original outlet was in Greensboro, North Carolina, though it's now closed. These stores still exist today, though some fans unequivocally prefer to go to a factory store where they can see hot donuts coming off the line.

4. It once sold pizza

Believe it or not, Krispy Kreme once sold pizza. It’s not clear why this savory product was first introduced – or why it disappeared from the menu, with there being very little evidence of the dish aside from a social media post on the brand’s official Facebook page. These days, the chain is pretty successful selling donuts and coffee only.

3. A wholewheat donut flopped

In 2007, Krispy Kreme released a wholewheat donut. The idea was that health-conscious customers might be enticed by a donut with only 180 calories, compared to the higher-calorie Original Glazed donuts. Perhaps the problem was that no one eating in a donut shop is especially concerned with calories at the point of purchase; the wholewheat donuts quietly faded into history.

2. The secret recipe is locked in a vault

Does Krispy Kreme still use mashed potato in its donuts? The fried goods famously weigh next to nothing and practically dissolve when you bite into them. But not many people know for sure what gives them their signature taste and texture. After all, the recipe is reportedly locked in a vault at the company HQ in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

1. The Original Glazed recipe came from a river boat chef

Carver Rudolph – Vernon Rudolph's son – told The Chronicle in 2013 that Ishmael Armstrong probably got the original recipe for his donuts from a barge cook called Joseph G. LeBoeuf from Louisville, Kentucky. That recipe likely consisted of cream of whipped egg whites, mashed potato, sugar, shortening, skimmed milk, and flour. However, Armstrong would have altered the recipe because he was making donuts on a much larger scale than LeBoeuf.

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Last updated by Luke Paton.