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"The Holy Donut Journey" With Jeff Buckwalter
Manage episode 490287195 series 3502562
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The story of The Holy Donut is a story of determination, creativity, and the power of a family coming together to build a business and a brand together. It all started with our founder, Leigh Kellis, a single mother and a veteran in the serving and bartending scene in Portland, who turned her apartment kitchen into a donut laboratory armed with nothing but passion, love and a counter-top fryer. She was fueled by a desire to offer a unique and wholesome donut that she felt comfortable sharing with her daughter. The story is fueled by a family united by a common mission and dream. Her father, Allan, offered unwavering support, from peeling potatoes to making deliveries asking for nothing in return in the early wholesale days. The opening of the first Holy Donut in Portland in 2012 was a collective effort, with her mother, Cynthia, investing her savings, and her sister, Elizabeth, leaving her job to join the venture only working for tips in the early days. The business’s growth was realized and propelled by Jeff Buckwalter, Leigh’s brother-in-law, who quit his job and came on board as the CEO in 2013 and brought the business acumen, structure and vision for sustainable growth of the brand. The Holy Donut became a true family affair, involving even the youngest members: Avery, Riley, Kady and Griffin in its operation creating lifelong memories.
Fast forward 13 years and the company now has 5 retail locations and has successfully launched a nationwide shipping program and a rapidly growing wholesale channel with distribution from the county to New York. They recently launched with Hannaford Supermarkets and have plans to continue to grow their brand beyond New England.
This story is more than just about donuts; it’s a testament to the power of a dream, a family’s determination, the village that materialized to help them grow, and the community that embraced them along their journey. The 207 collective is available on all major listening platforms. Recorded in Alfred Maine.
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