Our hand-crafted doughnuts and premium coffee is meant to bring you joyful moments wherever you go. Krispy Kreme came from humble beginnings with a single shop to having a global footprint – this is how our story of creating magical moments began…
1930’s
A good hand
Krispy Kreme’s story started in the 1930s. Legend has it that a young Vernon Rudolph, the man responsible for these heavenly delights, won the secret yeast-raised doughnut recipe in a poker game with a French Chef in New Orleans. We’re not sure how historically accurate that is but it makes a great story!
He then rented a building in Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts to grocery stores originally as a wholesaler. However, the delicious scent of cooking doughnuts drifted into the street and was too difficult to ignore, causing passers-by to stop and ask if they could buy hot fresh doughnuts.
Vernon saw this as an opportunity to create a retail business and cut a hole in the wall of the building to start selling directly to customers.
1940’s - 1950's
They kept coming back for more...
Customers would keep coming back as they knew that they could always enjoy the delicious taste, regardless of which store they bought the doughnuts from.
To ensure consistency, Vernon developed the Krispy Kreme automatic doughnut cutter machine to ensure delivery of the perfect mix every time. This was the prototype of what you see in factory stores today. It is this incredible machine that gives our doughnuts their perfect shape day in and day out.
1970’s - 1990's
Not the end of a legacy
Sadly, in 1976 Vernon passed away, however, his beloved Krispy Kreme still lives on today.
Krispy Kreme can even be found in the Smithsonian’s Institute’s National Museum of American History and is a testament to Vernon’s vision for the brand with Krispy Kreme being considered an American Icon.
