Loud and clear

I’m not sure if many of you have heard, but Krispy Kreme doughnuts have gotten quite popular in America.

The doughnut that we all know and love has moved westward for a new audience, wiping out many mom and pop doughnut establishments along their way.

Krispy Kreme was started in 1933, when Vernon Carver Rudolph bought a doughnut shop in Paducah, Ky. from a French Chef, from New Orleans. There the delectably delicious Krispy Kreme doughnut was born. With their newfound popularity some people are wondering what all the hype is about.

First of all Krispy Kreme revolutionized the process of making the doughnut. The hand cut doughnut making days were over when Krispy Kreme hit the market with their new automatic doughnut cutting machine in the 1950s. This machine created twice the amount of product in half the time. This machine was improved upon just a few years later with the creation of a machine that were extruded by air pressure from the doughnut hopper to the trays. While the Mom and Pop stores were slaving away in the kitchen, Krispy Kreme was doubling their productivity with these innovations.

The second factor that has made Krispy Kreme the doughnut powerhouse it is has to do with the amount of exposure they get. Even Duncan Doughnuts with their memorable television spots had nothing on the Krispy Kreme image.at least here in the Southeast. The first non-southeastern Krispy Kreme doughnut shop opened its doors to the public May 9, 1995 in Indianapolis, Ind. Just about a year later the doughnuts could be purchased fresh from a store in New York City. This is where the chain really started to take off.

Now I have nothing against Mom and Pop establishments at all; I actually prefer their products. When I visit my grandparents in Pittsburgh, there is a doughnut shop in town that I am always sure to swing by. The people that work there take great pride in the products that they produce. The locally owned bakery just has a certain flavor that keeps you going over and over again.

Locally owned and run bakeries are usually more meticulously made, and there is just something better about eating something that didn’t spend its entire life on a conveyor belt. The taste seems fresher, and when it comes to eating a doughnut, freshness is key. A doughnut, tastes best the day its made.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 25 2002. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry