Krispy Kreme

What Krispy Kreme does

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation (NASDAQ: DNUT) is a global retailer of premium sweet treats, principally doughnuts and coffee beverages, founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and headquartered in Charlotte. The company operates company-owned and franchised retail shops, drive-thrus, and digital ordering channels (website and mobile app) in 40+ countries, and distributes packaged products through major grocery and warehouse retailers including Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, Publix, and Kroger. Its core product is the proprietary Original Glazed doughnut, complemented by seasonal limited-time collections (Valentine's Day, Easter, Summer, Fourth of July, Artemis II, etc.), filled and mini doughnut formats, and a coffee/beverage lineup including lattes, frozen chillers, and Ghirardelli hot chocolate. The Krispy Kreme Rewards loyalty program has over 17 million US members with 10 points per $1 spent.

The business operates an asset-light, multi-channel model with four revenue streams: (1) direct retail sales through company-owned and franchised shops, (2) franchise royalties from a global franchise network, (3) retail/grocery distribution via third-party retailers, and (4) loyalty-driven repeat purchases. Technology is centered on the proprietary Hot Light signaling system, traditional doughnut manufacturing, and a digital platform with mobile ordering, digital wallet (My Card), and social/voice ordering integrations. Following its July 2021 SPAC IPO, Krispy Kreme is executing a turnaround strategy built on refranchising transactions (Japan sold to Unison Capital for ~$70M; Western U.S. JV restructured with WKS for ~$90M), geographic expansion (Netherlands entry via Jafa Holding BV; India expansion via Curefoods), and aggressive seasonal product marketing. Net leverage was reduced from 6.7x to 5.5x following refranchising.

Name

Krispy Kreme

Legal name

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation

Website

https://krispykreme.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Krispy Kreme is a global retailer of premium doughnuts and coffee operating company-owned and franchised shops across 40+ countries, plus grocery distribution through Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, Publix, and Kroger, serving individual consumers via its Original Glazed and seasonal product portfolio and a 17M-member loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Doughnut & Coffee Retail

NAICS

Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Retail Bakeries (311811)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Donut Shops (THAFAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Bakery & Dough Products Wholesale (AFAIAHAD), DTC Bakery & Desserts Delivery (AFAIANAF), Online Bakery & Desserts Delivery (CRAHAIAK)

Keywords

• Doughnut retail
• Specialty coffee beverages
• Franchise restaurant operations
• Bakery products
• Loyalty rewards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Retail Sales: Company-owned and franchised shop sales of doughnuts and beverages to consumers, both in-store and via digital ordering channels
2. Franchise Royalties: Royalties from franchised locations; company is transitioning to asset-light model with increased franchisee ownership
3. Retail/Grocery Distribution: Distribution of Krispy Kreme products through third-party retail partners including Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, and Kroger
4. Loyalty Program: Krispy Kreme Rewards program generating engagement and repeat purchases; 10 points per $1 spent on qualifying purchases

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Krispy Kreme manufactures and sells premium sweet treats, anchored by its signature Original Glazed doughnut, through company-owned and franchised retail shops worldwide. The company also distributes its doughnut and coffee products through grocery and warehouse retail partners, a digital ordering platform, and a tiered loyalty program with over 17 million U.S. members.

Product overview

Krispy Kreme is a global doughnut and coffee/beverage retailer operating a chain of shop locations alongside retail distribution in grocery and convenience stores. The product portfolio centers on the signature Original Glazed doughnut complemented by seasonal and limited-time collections (patriotic, summer, spring, Valentine's Day, Easter, holiday), filled doughnuts, cake doughnuts, iced doughnuts, and mini doughnut formats. The beverage lineup includes hot and iced coffees, espresso-based lattes, frozen lattes, chillers, and seasonal specialty drinks. Krispy Kreme offers digital services including a loyalty rewards program (17M+ members), mobile app with online ordering and delivery, catering for events, and fundraising programs for organizations. Products are available in-shop, via drive-thru, for delivery, and through retail packaged formats at third-party retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Krispy Kreme Rewards: Loyalty rewards program with over 17 million U.S. members offering points for purchases redeemable for doughnuts and beverages.

Products and services

• Original Glazed Doughnut
• Summer Seasonal Collection Limited-time summer doughnuts including Key Lime Pie Doughnut, Lemon Bar Doughnut, Cannoli Inspired Doughnut, and Original Glazed Strawberry Cake Doughnut, paired with Watermelon and Mango Infused Lemonade Chillers.
• Fourth of July Collection Limited-time patriotic doughnut collection featuring USA Doughnut, Firework Doughnut, Freedom Ring Doughnut, and Chocolate Iced with Patriotic Sprinkles.
• Spring Seasonal Collection Seasonal doughnut lineup featuring HERSHEY'S Double Chocolate, Strawberries and Kreme, Banana Pudding Doughnut, and Blueberry Cake Doughnut, paired with Cookie Blast Latte.
• Filled Doughnuts Doughnuts with various fillings including Original Glazed Kreme Filled, Raspberry Filled, Chocolate Kreme Filled, Chocolate Custard Filled, New York Cheesecake Filled, and Cinnamon Apple Filled.
• Doughnut Dots Miniature doughnut pieces available in assorted varieties including Original Glazed, Cookie Crumb, Cinnamon, Powdered, and Sprinkled in 10-count and 24-count packs.
• Mini Doughnuts Smaller versions of classic doughnuts including Mini Original Glazed, Mini Chocolate Iced, Mini Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, and Mini Strawberry Iced with Sprinkles.
• Lattes and Specialty Coffee Hot and iced espresso-based beverages including Lattes, Cappuccino, Americano, Espresso, and specialty variations like Caramel Mocha, Vanilla, and Original Glazed flavored lattes.
• Frozen Lattes Blended iced coffee beverages including Frozen Specialty Latte, Frozen Vanilla, Frozen Caramel, Frozen Mocha, Frozen Caramel Mocha, and Frozen Original Glazed Specialty Latte.
• Chillers Frozen fruit beverages including Strawberry Chiller and Lemonade Chiller, made with real frozen fruit and sweetened with cane sugar.
• Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate Hot chocolate beverage made with Ghirardelli cocoa blended with steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.
• Krispy Kreme Rewards Loyalty program with over 17 million U.S. members offering points-based rewards for qualifying purchases, with 10 points per dollar spent, redeemable for free doughnuts and beverages.
• Catering Catering service for events featuring bulk doughnut orders including specialty dozen bundles for occasions like Fourth of July celebrations.
• Fundraising Fundraising program allowing organizations to sell Krispy Kreme products with digital ordering and pre-sale options.
• Digital Payment My Card Digital payment feature within the app allowing users to load funds for in-store purchases at participating Krispy Kreme locations.
• Mobile Ordering and Delivery Online ordering through the Krispy Kreme website and mobile app for in-shop pickup and delivery services.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• CP67 Mall (Chandigarh)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 June 2026New Krispy Kreme store opening at CP67 Mall in Chandigarh, marking debut in the city and first major expansion in North India outside Delhi NCR.
• LancewoodminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026South African limited-edition collaboration featuring Doughnuts Trio Box and Granadilla Cheesecake Chiller. Combines Lancewood's dairy products with Krispy Kreme's dessert appeal.
• Milk BarmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026First-ever partnership launching three doughnut flavors inspired by Milk Bar classics: Birthday Cake, Milk Bar Pie, and Compost Cookie. Developed with founder and James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi.
• WKS Restaurant GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026Western U.S. joint venture restructuring where WKS increased its stake from 45% to 80%, adding 23 company-operated locations in California and Hawaii. Transaction valued at approximately $90 million with ~$50 million cash paid to Krispy Kreme.
• OREO (Mondelez International)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 February 2026Limited-time doughnut collection featuring Golden OREO, Chocolate OREO Dream, and OREO Cookies & Kreme varieties. Expansion of existing cookie-meets-doughnuts collaboration.
• PublixmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic retail partnership for distribution of Krispy Kreme products in Publix grocery stores.
• Sam's ClubmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail warehouse partnership for Krispy Kreme product distribution through Sam's Club locations.
• TargetmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail partnership for Krispy Kreme product distribution at Target stores.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Insomnia Cookies: Late-night specialty cookie and dessert delivery brand acquired by Krispy Kreme in 2018. Comparable premium sweet-treat positioning, late-night occasion focus, and direct-to-consumer digital ordering infrastructure.
• Dunkin': Largest direct competitor in the U.S. donut and coffee QSR category, owned by Inspire Brands. Operates a heavily franchised U.S. footprint with comparable breakfast/snack occasion focus and a strong digital loyalty program.
• Tim Hortons: Iconic Canadian-origin donut and coffee chain with comparable yeast and cake donut assortment. Operates a heavily franchised international model similar to Krispy Kreme's asset-light ambitions.
• Shipley Do-Nuts: U.S. donut franchise chain specializing in fresh, made-from-scratch donuts across the South and Southwest. Closely comparable on core product, price point, and franchise-led growth model.
• Cinnabon: Specialty sweet-bakery chain owned by GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands). Directly comparable premium impulse-treat brand, mall and travel-plaza distribution, and limited-time flavor innovation cadence.
• Auntie Anne's: Specialty baked-goods franchise under GoTo Foods, focused on soft pretzels in mall and travel-plaza locations. Comparable franchise model, impulse-occasion positioning, and adjacency in the handheld sweet/savory snack category.
• Baskin-Robbins: Global ice cream and frozen dessert specialty chain, also under Inspire Brands. Comparable impulse-treat positioning, predominantly franchised global footprint, and frequent limited-time flavor launches tied to events.
• Daylight Donuts: U.S. donut franchise chain with regional Midwest concentration and comparable made-fresh positioning. Closely aligned on store format, franchise economics, and product mix.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks: Global coffee and snack incumbent whose breakfast/snack menu increasingly includes bakery items and competes with Krispy Kreme for morning sweet-treat occasions. Relevant as a much larger incumbent with overlapping digital loyalty scale.

Emerging players

• Voodoo Doughnut: Cult specialty donut brand with strong novelty and limited-time flavor identity. Comparable on premium-impulse positioning, event-driven marketing, and social-media-driven consumer engagement among younger demographics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/krispykremecan
• Facebookfacebook.com/KrispyKreme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/krispy-kreme

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Krispy Kreme