Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme, Inc.

Krispy Kreme in Cannington, Western Australia
Trade name	Krispy Kreme
Company type	Public
Traded as	Nasdaq: DNUT Russell 2000 component
Industry	Restaurant
Founded	July 13, 1937; 87 years ago (1937-07-13)
Founder	Vernon Rudolph
Headquarters	Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Number of locations	1,400[1]
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Baked goods Frozen beverages Hot beverages Iced beverages Soft drinks
Revenue	US$1.627 billion (2023)[2]
Operating income	US$-8.725 million (2024)[2]
Net income	US$3.095 million (2024)[2]
Total assets	US$3.072 billion (2024)[2]
Total equity	US$1.164 billion (2024)[2]
Number of employees	21,000 (December 29, 2024)
Website	krispykreme.com

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain. Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans chef, rented a building in 1937 in what is now historic Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and began selling to local grocery stores.^[3][4] Steady growth preceded an ambitious expansion as a public company in the period 2000 to 2016, which ultimately proved unprofitable. In 2016, the company returned to private ownership under JAB Holding Company, a private Luxembourg-based firm. In July 2021, Krispy Kreme became publicly traded again on the Nasdaq.^[1] The brand name is a deliberate non-standard spelling of "crispy cream", for marketing effect.