Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. is an American global doughnut company and coffeehouse chain based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Krispy Kreme is to become a privately held company owned by JAB Beech, itself a private German investment firm. Krispy Kreme founder Vernon Rudolph bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans chef and, in 1937, rented a building in what is now historic Old Salem in Winston-Salem, and began selling to local grocery stores.
In the United States, Krispy Kreme's products are sold via their own outlets as well as through grocery, convenience stores and supermarkets. They are also available in other countries through various channels.
The company's growth was steady prior to its initial public offering but profits have decreased in recent quarters.
On February 24, 2015, Krispy Kreme opened its 1,000th shop in Kansas City, Kansas.
In 1933, eighteen-year-old Vernon Rudolph began working for his uncle, Ishmael Armstrong, who owned a small general store in Paducah, Kentucky that sold a wide variety of goods, including its very popular doughnuts. While the exact origin of the doughnut recipe remains partially a mystery, it is believed that Ishmael Armstrong was inspired by an Ohio River barge cook named Joseph LeBeouf who was famous for his light and fluffy doughnuts.
The store struggled during the Great Depression, so in 1934, Vernon and Ishmael decided to move to the larger city of Nashville, Tennessee where they hoped business would be better. The uncle and nephew focused solely on selling their doughnuts and opened "The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Company" in a rented store on Gallatin Road. The shop did so well that Vernon's father, Plumie, also left Kentucky and moved to Nashville to help sell doughnuts.
In 1937, Vernon Rudolph opened his own store, deciding on Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the location when he learned that his favorite cigarette company, Camel Cigarettes, was headquartered in the small North Carolina city. Rudolph primarily sold to convenience stores; however, he also sold hot doughnuts to individual customers who came during production time between midnight and 4 am. The first store in North Carolina was located in a rented building on South Main Street in Winston-Salem in what is now called historic Old Salem. The Krispy Kreme logo was designed by Benny Dinkins, a local architect. The first Krispy Kreme bakery outside the South opened in Akron, Ohio, in 1939.
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