I lived in North Carolina longer than I have anywhere else in my life. I moved to Raleigh North Carolina after college… and then left for my new full-time RV life 34 years later.
North Carolina is in an area of the United States called the Mid-Atlantic. It is centrally located to so many wonderful places. Where I lived in Raleigh, I could drive
- 2 to 3 hours to the beach
- 4 hours to the mountains
- 5 hours to where I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina
- 4.5 hours to Washington, DC
BUT!!! I want to talk about a company whose headquarters is in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
KRISPY KREME
When I was growing up, there was a Krispy Kreme diner nearby. It looked EXACTLY like this photo!!! I remember as a child spinning on the pedestal seats you see in the photo while I waited for my hot chocolate and HOT doughnuts. My mom would take me there about once a month for this special treat. I have such WONDERFUL fond memories of Krispy Kreme.
Now as an adult, it is VERY special to get hot doughnuts and just sit a table to watch the doughnuts be made by the magical doughnut-making machine. As we’ve traveled the United States, I’ve found myself always wanting to walk into any Krispy Kreme to relive my childhood experiences.
How did Krispy Kreme get where it is today?
1933: 22-year-old Vernon Rudolph bought a secret doughnut recipe from a New Orleans French chef. This recipe is still a secret today! The historic recipe thought to contain cream of fluffed egg whites, mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, skim milk, and flour… but is that right???
1937: Vernon established his headquarters in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
40s & 50s: There was a small chain of stores in the Southeast of the United States.
1955: The Krispy Kreme (KK) logo is reminiscent of a bowtie and is often referred to as “the bowtie”
1955: Krispy Kreme started a fundraising program where schools, churches, etc. could sell their doughnuts for a discount and the organization kept the difference. I (and my children) have sold MANY boxes of these doughnuts over the years to raise money.
60s & 70s: Stores continued to expand within the Southeast and started to expand into other areas of the United States
1963: The magical doughnut conveyor belt was introduced!!!
80s & 90s: Krispy Kreme started to expand to all corners of the United States.
1992: Krispy Kreme put the “HOT” sign outside their stores because the ideal temperature is to eat the ORIGINAL glazed doughnuts is just after they are removed from the magical doughnut conveyor belt.
1997: Krispy Kreme was recognized as a 20th-century icon and historical items were put into the Washington DC Smithsonian museum.
2001: The first international store was opened in Toronto, Canada
2003: Stores outside North America opened in Sydney, Australia and in London, England
2004: Krispy Kreme started the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh North Carolina where competitors run FIVE miles (8km), must eat TWELVE (12) doughnuts (2,400 calories) halfway through in ONE hour!!! I know many friends who have run in this race and I’ve been told that many folks can’t finish the race or then they can’t keep the doughnuts down. Whew! What a race!!!
2009: Krispy Kreme was put into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest box of doughnuts built in Kuwait. It measured 19 feet x 13 feet x 3 feet (48cm x 33cm x 7cm), weighed 297 pounds (135kg) and held 2,700 Krispy Kreme doughnuts!
2012: Krispy Kreme has its own race car and is driven by Gray Gaulding
2015: Krispy Kreme opened its 1000th store in Kansas City
Today: There are over 700 stores in Asia, Mexico, the Middle East, Puerto Rico, and Turkey.
Some facts:
- An original glazed doughnut weighs about 1.7 ounces and contains 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar, and 190 calories.
- I can’t go to a Krispy Kreme without eating at least 4 doughnuts in one sitting which is why I now only go once in a while. I can’t control myself there
- The original glazed doughnut is still the same from 1945.
- You can buy a Krispy Kreme wedding cake.
- Basketball star, Shaquille O’Neal, owns a Krispy Kreme store in Atlanta.
It’s fascinating to me that one of my more favorite childhood memories started in NORTH CAROLINA and now it is an international business loved by so many others.
Thank you Vernon Rudolph for starting the first Krispy Kreme doughnut store on July 13, 1937, and for bringing such a great creation to the world (or at least to my life).
Hope you are a HUGE Krispy Kreme fan too!!! There’s NOTHING like it!!!
This post is part of the #StateChallenge organized by @Kwiksatik and @Denise_Barlock. If you want to find out more, check out the State Challenge index, and you can also find other submissions by searching the #StateChallenge hashtag.
delicious wow
It is indeed a pleasure and good memory, too!