Krispy Kreme facts for kids
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Krispy Kreme in Cannington, Western Australia
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Trade name
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Krispy Kreme |
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| Public company | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | July 13, 1937 |
| Founder | Vernon Rudolph |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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1,400 |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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| Revenue |  US$518.714 million (2016) |
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Operating income
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US$52.098 million (2016) |
| US$32.398 million (2016) |
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| Total assets |  US$342.875 million (2016) |
| Total equity | US$256.140 million (2016) |
| Owner | JAB Holding Company (2016–2021) |
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Number of employees
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21,000 (April 1, 2021) |
Krispy Kreme, Inc. is a well-known American company that makes delicious doughnuts and sells coffee. You might know them for their famous Original Glazed doughnuts!
The company was started by Vernon Rudolph in 1937. He bought a special doughnut recipe from a chef in New Orleans. Vernon then rented a building in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and began selling his tasty doughnuts to local grocery stores.
Krispy Kreme grew steadily over the years. It became a public company (meaning its shares could be bought and sold by anyone) for a while. In 2016, a company called JAB Holding Company bought Krispy Kreme, making it a private company again. But in July 2021, Krispy Kreme became publicly traded once more on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
The name "Krispy Kreme" is a fun, different way to spell "crispy cream."
Contents
The Story of Krispy Kreme
How It All Started
The story of Krispy Kreme began in 1933. A young man named Vernon Rudolph, who was 18, started working for his uncle, Ishmael Armstrong. His uncle owned a small store in Paducah, Kentucky, that sold many things, including very popular doughnuts. People believe the doughnut recipe came from a cook named Joseph LeBeouf, who was known for his light and fluffy doughnuts.
During the Great Depression, the store faced tough times. So, in 1934, Vernon and his uncle moved to Nashville, Tennessee, hoping for better business. They focused only on selling doughnuts and opened "The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Company." The shop did so well that Vernon's father also joined them.
In 1937, Vernon Rudolph opened his own store in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He chose this city because his favorite cigarette company was located there. At first, Rudolph mainly sold his doughnuts to other stores. But people soon started coming to his shop late at night, between midnight and 4 a.m., to buy hot, fresh doughnuts right when they were made! The first North Carolina store was in a rented building at 534 South Main Street. The first Krispy Kreme bakery outside the Southern U.S. opened in Akron, Ohio, in 1939.
Growing Bigger
Krispy Kreme continued to grow in the 1950s and 1960s. It became well-known across the Southeast and then started to expand into other areas. In 1976, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation became part of a larger company called Beatrice Foods. However, the main office for Krispy Kreme stayed in Winston-Salem.
Later, in 1982, a group of people who owned Krispy Kreme franchises (stores that pay to use the Krispy Kreme name and recipes) bought the company back from Beatrice Foods.
In the 1990s, Krispy Kreme started to expand very quickly again. They opened stores outside the southeastern U.S. for the first time. In December 2001, the first Krispy Kreme store outside the United States opened in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
New Ownership and Going Public Again
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In May 2016, a German investment company called JAB Holding Company offered to buy Krispy Kreme for $1.35 billion. This deal made Krispy Kreme a private company again. The deal was completed on July 27, 2016. In December 2017, Krispy Kreme moved its main business operations to Charlotte, North Carolina. However, Winston-Salem still has the World Headquarters.
Around 2010, Krispy Kreme also started testing a delivery service for businesses called Krispy Kreme Express. They also began building shops with special "tunnel ovens." These ovens allow them to make hot doughnuts all day long, so customers can always get a "Hot Now" doughnut! On February 24, 2015, Krispy Kreme opened its 1,000th shop in Kansas City, Kansas.
In 2018, Krispy Kreme bought another bakery chain called Insomnia Cookies. This company still runs its own business. In August 2020, the first Krispy Kreme vending machine was launched in North Carolina. It sells packs of doughnuts 24 hours a day!
In May 2021, Krispy Kreme announced plans to become a public company again. They officially went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange on July 1, 2021, under the name Krispy Kreme Inc.
Krispy Kreme Around the World
Krispy Kreme has stores all over the world! The very first store outside North America opened in Penrith, Australia. The second international store was in the United Kingdom, inside the Harrods department store in London.
Today, besides the United States and Canada, you can find Krispy Kreme in many countries. These include places like Egypt, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Colombia, and many more!
For example, in August 2011, Krispy Kreme's operations in Japan planned to greatly increase their number of stores. In South Korea, their first store opened in 2004, and they celebrated their 100th store opening exactly ten years later! Krispy Kreme opened its first store in India in 2013.
In September 2013, Krispy Kreme announced plans to open 25 stores in Colombia, making it the first South American country to have Krispy Kreme. In May 2015, they announced plans to open 31 stores in South Africa, marking their first step into Africa.
On November 5, 2016, Krispy Kreme opened its first store in Kópavogur, Iceland. They also opened their first store in Panama City, Panama, in January 2017, and in Guatemala City, Guatemala, in January 2018. In September 2018, Krispy Kreme opened its first store in Dublin, Ireland, which has become one of their most successful stores worldwide.
More recently, in May 2023, Krispy Kreme opened its first store in Costa Rica. They also expanded to France in December 2023 with their first Paris store.
What Krispy Kreme Sells
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While Krispy Kreme is famous for its Original Glazed doughnut, they also offer many other kinds!
In 2007, Krispy Kreme tried selling a Whole Wheat Glazed doughnut for people who wanted a healthier option. It had slightly fewer calories and more fiber than the original. By 2008, Krispy Kreme also reduced the amount of trans fat in all their doughnuts to a very small amount. This allowed them to say their doughnuts had "0 grams trans fat" on their nutrition labels, following U.S. food guidelines.
Sometimes, Krispy Kreme creates special, limited-time doughnuts. For example, in July 2010, they introduced a doughnut that tasted like the soft drink Cheerwine. These were so popular that one store in Salisbury, North Carolina (where Cheerwine is made), kept selling them even after the special month ended!
They have also teamed up with other brands. In 2017, Krispy Kreme doughnut-flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans were announced. In 2019, they released two new doughnuts inspired by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. In July 2020, they launched candy-coated doughnuts with Nerds, Jelly Belly jelly beans, sour gummies, and marshmallows.
Krispy Kreme also offers seasonal collections. In September 2020, they launched a Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Collection with flavors like Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed and Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake. In January 2021, Krispy Kreme in the UK launched its first vegan Original Glazed doughnut, and later added more vegan flavors like Fudge Brownie Bliss.
Fun Promotions
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Krispy Kreme has always been known for its word-of-mouth advertising, but in 2006, they started using TV and radio ads. They also have a long tradition of helping organizations raise money. Since 1955, they have offered fundraising kits where groups can sell boxes of doughnuts and share the money they earn with Krispy Kreme.
In 2014, Krispy Kreme created a very special doughnut that cost $1,685! It was covered with 24-karat gold and decorated with edible diamonds. The inside was made from fancy champagne jelly. This unique doughnut was part of a fundraising effort for The Children's Trust.
In March 2021, Krispy Kreme announced a special offer: customers in the U.S. who showed proof of a COVID-19 vaccine could get a free Original Glazed doughnut every day for the rest of the year (except Thanksgiving and Christmas). Some people wondered if eating a doughnut every day was healthy. Krispy Kreme responded by saying that their doughnuts are a treat to enjoy sometimes, and they were not asking people to eat one every day. They just wanted to make the offer available, especially since not everyone could get vaccinated at the time.
See also
In Spanish: Krispy Kreme para niños
- List of doughnut shops
- List of coffeehouse chains
