9 facts you need to know about Krispy Kreme

(Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

#8. It all started with the secret recipe

Vernon Rudolph started Krispy Kreme donuts from the secret recipe, which he bought from a French chef in New Orleans in 1937. It was a small business venture at first, selling just a dozen at a time—no, you couldn’t buy the donuts on their own at the time.

Rudolph had rented a building in Old Salem. He also sold them to the grocery stores in the area. From there, he grew an enterprise! It just goes to show that those small lemonade stands are worth their time and effort.

Oh, and the donuts grew in popularity because of the smell—we all know how that feels! People smelled the donuts in the street from the shop and wanted to buy them. This led to Rudolph deciding to cut a hole in one of the walls to sell the original glazed donuts straight from his place of creation.

#7. Some like it cold

While we’re used to grabbing the donuts when they’re still hot a lot of the time, you had to be an uber fan to do that when Krispy Kreme was just starting out. The hot donuts would only be available between midnight and 4 a.m.

As the demand for hot donuts rose, the cooking methods and timings changed. Eventually, Rudolph started offering hot donuts in the later hours.

It took until 1944 for the donuts to be shown in a display case. This allowed customers to go in and select a variety easily. This was at the time that the cake sticks were made available and more donuts were offered with different glazings and fillings.