How the family made a fortune on the seemingly disgusting donuts

The owners of a small donut donut on the West Coast of the USA managed to make it the most popular in the country, investing no more than a thousand dollars a year in advertising. Today, their donuts are ordered by President Obama, and those who want to try disgusting-looking donates come from all over the world.

Photo: Shutterstock

At a bus stop in the American town of Portland, Oregon, there is a bearded rocker wearing leather and rings. He holds a bright pink box in his hands. To my question: “What’s inside?” - the rocker wheezes: “Voodoo donuts. Magic in the hole! Crazy - I think, but the rocker explains that voodoo donuts are the best donuts, and the magic in the hole is the slogan. “So what kind of donuts are they, why are they so good?” I ask the big guy. He opens a box containing a dozen donuts, one to one. Each one has a shiny piece of bacon on it. “My favorite is with bacon. I told my wife: for my birthday, buy me a hundred,” the rocker looks into the box and smiles.

Not everyone can understand how to eat bacon donuts. I look in a New York cafe Donut pub and ask if there is a bacon donut. “I hope we don’t have them! What kind of nastiness is this? ”, The elderly seller replies, wincing in disgust. “I heard a lot about donuts with bacon, but we don’t fry them,” says the half-empty, once the most popular cafe saleswoman Donut plantwhose donuts appeared more than 100 years ago. To get in donut Voodoo donut, I had to stand in the 40 queue for minutes. A long line stretches from the corner of a neighboring house. People advise each other to come at night - then the donut crowd is a bit smaller.

"I can not come at night, I have a plane! I have to get inside now. Visiting the West Coast and not eating voodoo donut with bacon is like going to New York and not seeing the Statue of Liberty, ”says Chris from Colorado, 63 is in the queue. Finally get inside. From the windows look drawn angry donati with sharp teeth. Donuts of the most incredible shapes and fillings, covered with oatmeal, sprinkled with drops are rolled on the window; M & Ms, in the form of a phallus, a voodoo doll with a stick of dough sticking out of the heart and modest classic ones. Donates are quickly packed in boxes labeled "all the best comes in pink boxes" - buying one donut here, it seems, is not accepted.

“We collected money for the opening of donut for more than a year. 30 barely scraped up thousands of dollars, ”says the owner Voodoo donut Trace Shannon. The musician from Portland, the American capital of hipsters and non-formals, where striptease dance in bars even during the day, and his friend the bartender decided to open a donut without knowing anything about cooking. All that American 2 wanted was to fry delicious donuts that didn’t look like anything.

“We went to California to learn how to make donuts. We rolled the dough for three days and cooked it, then everything that we had drunk was loaded with us, so we returned to Portland in a car stuffed with donates, ”Trace recalls.

The business idea was simple - to feed visitors to nightclubs, where the kitchen closes too early. Ponchikovaya earned in the night mode - from midnight to 10 hours of the morning.

Within a few days, a queue lined up near the tiny donat shop. Pretty drunk people wanted to try the weird donuts that Portland talked about the night. Add to donuts antidiarrheal Pepto-bismol and sleeping pills Nyquil it seemed to the founders Voodoo donut great idea.

“A donut with an antidiarrheal drug works well if you are already pretty drunk. Soothes the stomach. I ate it, and you can go on drinking, ”says Thrace. Healing donuts caused a stir - people tried them and advised friends. The founders of the donat shop still regret that their donuts were fastened and put to sleep no more than 2 weeks. The visit of people from the health department was a complete surprise to them. It turned out that adding medicine to food is strictly prohibited. “Gosh, our medicinal donuts were very good. Until now, people come and ask them. Although 10 is already years old, as we do not fry them, ”says Thrace. But very soon donat appeared on the shelves, which increased the company's sales tenfold and changed the idea of ​​the sweetness of the entire American nation.

Confectionary Trouble

At the factory of the world famous producer of sweet dragees Jelly Belly in California they give me a taste of bacon flavored candy. “We started adding bacon to our 3 products a year ago. This combination of sweet and salty people really like, "- says Michael, production controller. Today, bacon sweets are offered by hundreds of sweet producers in the US, including the US food giant. Safe away and the world's largest donut network Dunkin Donuts - A month ago, their breakfasts from sweet glazed donates with bacon and egg protruding from the inside went on sale in the USA.

Ten years ago, it was the owners Voodoo donut In an attempt to find a new unusual taste for donut, they came up with this explosive combination.

“I’m sure no one before us has added bacon to the sweet,” says Thrace. - We went to the supermarket, and there suddenly went ideas. And what if you put bacon on a donut? They laughed, tried - and really delicious. If I say that we didn’t smoke weed that day, I’ll just lie. ”

Daily bacon donuts in Voodoo donut baked in 10 times more than any other. These donates look disgusting: salty bacon seems to be a flaw on a harmonious donut with maple syrup. But with the advent of the culinary freak queue in donat-shop began to grow. “Disassemble like donuts with bacon” became an analogue of the Russian expression “disassemble like hot cakes”. Repeating the donut's success seemed easy: just fry the donuts with bacon and sell them in a weird donut. In the small Californian town of San Jose, donuts with bacon really are wildly popular: they are being taken apart in the morning.

“If you want a bacon donut, come by eleven,” the saleswoman tells me Psycho donuts.

This cafe is not much different from Voodoo donut - the same mystical design and strange donuts. Terrible faces and reddened eyeballs rolling by themselves look from the cafe walls. In the menu - donuts with bacon, cereal, and even beer and "margarita".

"I know the owner Psycho donuts. When they began to talk about us, he came to us and began to photograph all the donations on the counter. Soon we learned that he stole ideas from us and was selling the same donuts - with bacon, oatmeal, colorful squares from breakfast cereals and others, ”laments Trace.

But at midday at 3, the entire 3 visitor’s cafe, and the bored cashier read Gone With the Wind.

More than donuts

Gina rolls up her sleeve and shows me a tattoo on her shoulder. This is a big donut topped with a piece of bacon.

“I would not say that I am a fan of bacon donate. I'm a fan Voodoo donut, and this is their symbol. I love to come here because I will always find here to hang out with, ”says a 20-year-old student from Portland. Making donated tattoos suddenly became fashionable, the Donut Fan Club appeared, visitors began to send gifts to the donat shop address: plush donuts and canvases depicting donations.

“Step by step, we turned donut into an urban center of gravity. About us began to talk. We appeared in all the guidebooks. With this ad Voodoo donut on television or radio was never. We spent as little on advertising as possible - no more than a thousand dollars a year. This money went on advertising in local newspapers and flyers that were distributed on the street in the first months after opening, says Trais, pointing at a huge donut in the form of a phallus, glazed with dark chocolate. - This donut is called Cock and Balls ».

“At first we were afraid that this name would be embarrassing for people. But no, come and shout: give me cock and balls. People like to eat, but they like to eat and have fun even more, ”says Thrace and puts a record. Rolling Stones on the old jukebox of the 70's.

The phallus donut for 5 dollars continues to defiantly spin on the display case. Shortly after opening donut Voodoo donut offered the city its night festival - Kok-fest. Around the toilet rooms they built a cabin, providing it with a video recorder and cassettes of porn. The participants took turns securing themselves in the cockpit for exactly 5 minutes. After 5 minutes the curtain was pulled back, and the crowd of spectators immediately understood: to applaud or boo.

“The participant should have been aroused and put as many donuts as possible on his own. For several years he was defeated by a piercing guy at a causal place. Piercing helped him secure the lower donat - the most important in the whole structure, ”recalls Thrace.

"It was very funny. For 4 minutes I got, in my opinion, 5 or 6 donates. I lost then. Won Jim Francesconi with 10 donuts! ”, - admitted the former mayor of Portland, Thomas J. Potter.

But it is no longer about Kok-Fes. It had to be closed as soon as at night, tourists with children began to come to the donut shop. The food festival for mayors is political fun from donut owners and an important part of the race for mayor of Portland.

On the night before the primaries, the political elite of the city come to a small donut to take part in the festival, invented by rocker Trace and bartender Kenneth. Each participant receives a box with 10 donuts. The whistle sounds and the competition begins. Thundering rock band song Alice Cooper “Elected”, politicians choke, putting donations in their mouths, the public shouts: “More, more!”. The winner is the candidate who ate more donuts in 4 minutes. After the show, politicians and voters drink whiskey and talk heart to heart.

“We invite to our festival all candidates for mayor, and this is about 20 people. Usually, televised debates are only called leaders, and we call everyone, even crazy old women, who in campaign speeches promise to fight for the rights of cats, ”says Trace.

He is sure: everyone is equal in donut room, and donuts help to know politicians better: after losing one, someone laughs, and someone gets angry and goes home. Democrat Thomas J. Potter participated in the very first festival of mayors. He lost, but the next day he was elected mayor of Portland.

“This festival was my favorite part of the election campaign. I don’t know how many of those present at that crazy event voted and if they voted for me, but it was a lot of fun, ”says 72-year-old Mr. Potter.

Then, 8 years ago, the entire 4 candidate agreed to take part in a strange festival. The next 4 festival a year later all 20 came together. Serious politicians in expensive suits are not afraid to spend the night in the Donat-shop and smell of fat donuts, because in the morning they will appear in all local newspapers and news bulletins.

Donut in the United States is one of the few genuinely American dishes to which Americans have more than just a consumer attitude. It was here that the Dutch settlers invented it, and by the middle of the 19 century, the donut had acquired the taste and form of a modern Donat. The first written mention of the donate (dough nuts) appeared in 1809 year in Washington Irving's "History of New York".

Irving describes "balls of sweetened dough, fried in pig fat and called donatami." The national role of donuts has been growing over the 20 century. In the First World War, it was Donat that was chosen as a treat for American soldiers. Donatas roasted in abandoned houses near the advanced donut pupae (donut dollies) - That is how they began to call young volunteer girls who arrived in Europe from the United States. During World War II, Red Cross volunteers prepared donuts for American soldiers. Since 1938, the National Donat Day is celebrated in the USA, when donuts are served free of charge or fees from their sale are transferred to the Salvation Army.

In 1938, all proceeds from the sale of donuts across the country were donated to help the victims of the Great Depression. Today, donut is an attribute of the American real and an integral part of national self-determination.

Homer Simpson, the embodiment of the average American, does not part with the donates, coffee donuts are a favorite treat of the police, and American children fall asleep under the tale "Donat named Arni" (Arnie the Donut) Lori Keller. Every year, the largest US business and culinary publications make ratings of the best donats in the country, where Voodoo donut - in the top three manufacturers of the most delicious donuts and the first in popularity in the USA.

Donut for President

“I was working that day. Our senior manager ran into the kitchen and shouted: “Guys, the White House called! An order for Barack Obama!” says John, cutting out a figurine of an ugly man from the dough, from whose back hole red jam will ooze in 15 minutes.

In 2010, Obama arrived in Portland during a countrywide election campaign. An exclusive donut - the size of a cake and coated with an American flag - was fried for the president. Do not forget about the donuts with bacon and oatmeal. Phallus donut decided not to send. Donut don’t know if the president liked the donates, but they confess: they had to be nervous that day.

“They called and asked for donations in an hour. Damn it, always like that - they call just an hour. In general, we accept special orders at least a day, ”lamented Treis.

For the day of presidential elections prepared in advance. In the morning, a donut of original design appeared on the shelves - with an American flag and the inscription Erection day (day of erection) instead of the notorious Election day (election Day).

The design of donuts is made up by cooks in the kitchen - bearded and pierced guys from 27 to 32, almost all are former musicians. Chefs are experimenting with stuffing - here you can add vodka or whiskey to donat to order. Over the 10 years, donut staff has grown 40 times - from 4 people to 160. In a small office, all 7 work, including donut box owners, the rest of the 153 people fry and sell.

“We do not need a bloated PR department, advertising, sales, creativity, or anything else. We do it ourselves, ”says Treis.

During the interview, a young tattooed guy in shorts, a cap and a dog on a leash runs past us. He slows down to ask Trace about how one of the chefs rested in New York. It turns out that he came up with the idea of ​​encouraging employees of the company with plane tickets and hotels rented for them throughout the country.

“He’s a very good CEO, we could only dream of such a thing,” says Thrace after the fleeing guy.

Voodoo Voodoo Dough. Bride and groom

“Look, our wedding cake was a huge donat in the shape of a heart,” says Derek, showing a photo from the family album.

On either side of the heart are donuts in the shape of the bride and groom. A few weeks ago, a 26-year-old physical therapist from Portland and his real estate agent-to-be wife tied the knot in a donut shop.

“We thought why we need a traditional wedding. Get married in Voodoo donut - this is really cool. I really enjoyed watching how the conservative relatives of my wife from Montana came as a shock when we announced that we were getting married in donut. I think we managed to stir up their hardened consciousness a little, ”says Derek.

Donut's wedding manager Sara Haze admits that they are ready to hold the most unusual ceremonies.

“We had a fiancé who wanted to bring an urn with mother’s ashes to the ceremony. And we, of course, allowed. There were animal lovers - they held a cat in their hands during the ceremony, ”says Sarah.

In donut stuff, almost everything is like in a registry office - a company representative reads the official speech, after which he declares it husband and wife.

“The ceremony was fun,” recalls Derek. - The queue was stopped, and we were invited inside. We were declared husband and wife - with jokes and jokes. We exchanged rings. And then we ate wedding donations and drank champagne. ”

Wedding ceremonies in donut run every week. The hottest time is Halloween and Independence Day. Last year in Voodoo donut married 111 couples.

“These are all kinds of people - from teenagers to those who are behind 50. Couples come from all over the world, I remember newlyweds from Australia, Canada and the UK well, ”says Sarah Hayes.

Marriage certificates from Voodoo donut absolutely legitimate. Several representatives of the company appear in the list of persons entitled to marry in the state of Oregon.

“We just submitted a request to the city municipality, and a week later we were given the necessary paper. It’s so simple, it can be done by anyone, ”says Thrace.

He also marries, but marriage is his least favorite thing.

“I don’t like to say this word forever.” Do you swear to love each other forever? I can not squeeze it out of myself. I usually change to "Do you swear to love each other for a long time?" And I also like to ask between official phrases: “Have you seen each other naked in the shower?”. If the answer is no, then I want to suggest postponing the wedding. ”

Trace worries that he is responsible for those who got married.

“Once there was one Russian couple who obviously married for the sake of citizenship. I declared them husband and wife, and they did not even kiss, and the husband ordered his wife to get in the car. Then I realized that I got married to people who, most likely, do not love each other, ”laments Treys.

You can marry donut without any delay and on any given day, the ceremony will cost 300 dollars.
***

Thrace explains success Voodoo donut great quality donuts. He talks for a long time about how often they change the oil in the ovens, and shows huge sacks of flour, supposedly the best in the States. But then the former rocker casually throws: tonight he goes to a big rock concert with a box of donations and branded souvenirs - T-shirts and stickers for guitars.

“I will have fun and talk about us at the same time. I always do that. Musicians love our donuts. For the backstage of big rock concerts, we always send pink boxes with donations. When in Portland acted AdeleShe screamed from the stage: "Voodoo donut, we love you!".

The creators of donut, a multimillion-dollar income today, recognize that their business model is unique, but not without drawbacks.

With a request to open a mad donut in Portland call from around the world. Among the latest proposals - the opening VoodooDoughnut in Madagascar.

To explain why this is not possible, Trace Shannon compares Voodoo donut с Rolling Stones period garage 70-x, when the courage of like-minded people gave birth to masterpieces.

“I’m not ready to move to Madagascar, and if none of us are there, donut will be left without a soul. Today we have 3 donut shops in Oregon, in October we open one in Denver, Colorado, and if they are 10 or 20? I will not hide, we are now actively studying the Asian market, but so far we do not see like-minded people who could create a world there Voodoo donut. Although let's meet through 2 of the year, maybe it will be somewhere in Tokyo, ”says Trace.

A huge truck passes us Food Services for America, one of the largest suppliers of food industry in the United States. Thrace shows the middle finger of the van.

“I always do that when I see their huge van. We turned to them when we started the business. But they laughed and immediately refused. They said they can not trust the guys with a crazy business idea. Now they regularly call us and offer their services at a discount. But we refuse. And I show the middle finger of their van. And I feel great pleasure, ”says the most successful donut maker in the USA.

See also:

20 best American desserts. A photo

Dunkin Donuts removes nearly a thousand calories from the menu.

50 the best pastry shops from every US state

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