Did you know there are not one but two national days honoring the donut? (June 2 + November 9, in case you’re wondering.) We recently celebrated our own love of doughnuts by doing the only reasonable thing: finishing off a half-dozen box of our favorite glazed Krispy Kreme.
After all, NC is the brand’s home. It all started in 1933 , when then-18-year-old Vernon Rudolph purchased a secret recipe for yeast-raised donuts from a New Orleans-based French chef. Vernon later moved from Paducah, Kentucky to Winston-Salem and opened his first Krispy Kreme shop in 1937. At first, Vernon only sold his baked goods to local grocery stores , but when the sweet smell wafting through town began to attract people to his door, he cut a hole in the building — literally — and began selling directly to customers. And so the era of hot and fresh donuts was born.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the company gained popularity across the Carolinas + throughout the southeast. In the 1960s, Vernon standardized the look of Krispy Kreme locations with the signature green roof and heritage-style road sign and began opening locations nationwide (today, there are nearly 400 stores in the US and 1,400 stores worldwide).
Since 1937, the flagship store (#101) has been relocated a couple of times — but remains open daily at 259 S. Stratford Road and operates 24/7 as a production and distribution facility for other locations. Tours are available for student groups + you can search current job listings on the local support center’s website.
Want to learn more about products made locally? Check out our timeline of NC’s most iconic products .