The Donut Experiment

What The Donut Experiment does

The Donut Experiment is a privately held, family-oriented boutique donut shop founded in 2012 and headquartered in Anna Maria, Florida. The company operates four retail storefronts across three U.S. states (Anna Maria FL, St. Augustine FL, Fort Wayne IN, Lombard IL), serving walk-in consumers, families, tourists, and event customers.

The core product is a made-to-order vanilla cake donut prepared on a customer-facing assembly line. Customers select a base donut, then customize it with one of several icings (chocolate, caramel, maple, vanilla, glaze, strawberry), fifteen or more toppings (sprinkles, bacon, candy, coconut, Oreo, Reese's Pieces, M&Ms, etc.), and four drizzle options (caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, raspberry). All donuts are produced fresh daily, with no day-old inventory sold. The menu is rounded out by specialty donuts (e.g., Key Lime, Sriracha), a recurring monthly special, and a full coffee and espresso beverage program including lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos, and cold brew in 12oz, 16oz, and 24oz sizes.

The revenue model combines unit-priced retail sales (single, half dozen, dozen), tiered event catering packages for 30, 50, or 100 people ($100-$300 starting), reloadable gift cards, and a points-based Donut Dollars loyalty program. Distribution is primarily walk-in retail supplemented by online ordering for in-store pickup and direct catering sales. Payments and loyalty run on Square, with online ordering integrated via Cash App. The company markets through its website, blog, email newsletter, and Facebook, with customer reviews prominently featured as social proof.

Name

The Donut Experiment

Legal name

The Donut Experiment

Website

https://thedonutexperiment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Donut Experiment is a privately held boutique donut shop founded in 2012 that operates four retail storefronts across Florida, Indiana, and Illinois, serving walk-in consumers, families, and event customers with made-to-order customizable donuts, coffee, and event catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Donut Shop / Bakery

NAICS

Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

akta.pro primary industry

Donut Shops (THAFAGAE)

Keywords

• Made-to-order donuts
• Custom donut shop
• Specialty coffee beverages
• Event catering donuts
• Loyalty rewards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Anna Maria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Donut Sales: Individual sales of made-to-order donuts in single, half dozen, or dozen quantities. Also includes specialty donuts like Key Lime and Sriracha.
2. Beverage Sales: Hot and iced coffee beverages including espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, chai tea lattes, Americanos, and specialty house iced coffee. Sold individually.
3. Catering Services: Event catering packages for 30, 50, or 100 people including donuts and coffee. Catering events include weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and parties.
4. Gift Cards: Digital and physical gift cards in any denomination, rechargeable after use. Sold through Square.
5. Donut Dollars Loyalty Program: Points-based loyalty program where customers earn points per purchase that can be redeemed for free donuts and coffee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Donut Experiment operates a boutique-style donut shop selling made-to-order customizable vanilla cake donuts, prepared fresh on an assembly line in front of customers using specialized fryer equipment. Customers choose their icing, toppings (15+ options), and drizzles, with the core retail line supplemented by specialty donuts, housemade coffee and espresso beverages, event catering packages, a points-based loyalty program, and reloadable gift cards.

Product overview

The Donut Experiment operates as a boutique make-your-own donut shop offering a single unified product platform centered on customizable donuts. The core offering consists of made-to-order vanilla cake donuts where customers build their own combination by selecting from multiple icings, toppings, and drizzles. This core donut customization system is supplemented by housemade coffee and espresso beverages. Additional revenue streams include catering packages for events (30, 50, or 100 person tiers), the Donut Dollars loyalty/rewards program powered by Square, and reloadable gift cards. The company was founded in 2012 and operates locations in Florida (Anna Maria, St. Augustine), Indiana (Fort Wayne), and Illinois (Lombard).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationSquare provides point-of-sale systems, loyalty program infrastructure, and online ordering/payment processing. The Donut Experiment uses Square for their rewards/loyalty program (Donut Dollars) and online gift card sales. Square link: https://app.squareup.com/loyalty/MLAGWVD7RNFE0

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Shipley Do-Nuts: Regional donut chain strong in the South and Texas with a franchise model. Comparable as a regional donut retailer that competes for the same breakfast and snacking occasions as boutique operators in overlapping geographies.

Direct peers

• Voodoo Doughnut: Iconic boutique donut brand known for quirky flavors and experiential retail. Comparable as a specialty donut concept with strong brand identity and cult following, though with fixed recipes versus The Donut Experiment's customization model.
• Randy's Donuts: Iconic LA donut shop with strong brand recognition and tourist appeal. Comparable as a destination donut retailer where location experience and brand drive retail traffic.
• Duck Donuts: Franchised made-to-order donut concept where customers customize vanilla cake donuts with coatings, toppings, and drizzles. Closest direct competitor with the same customization playbook and multi-location franchise model.
• Top Pot Doughnuts: Seattle-based boutique donut and coffee shop emphasizing craftsmanship and design-forward stores. Comparable as a multi-location artisan donut retailer pairing housemade coffee with premium donuts.
• District Donuts Sliders Brew: Specialty donut and coffee concept offering made-to-order and chef-driven flavors. Comparable as a small-footprint, premium donut retailer with coffee pairings and catering capabilities.
• The Doughnut Project: NYC-based boutique donut shop known for unique flavor combinations and small-batch production. Comparable as a craft donut operator selling through retail storefronts with premium pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Dunkin': Mass-market coffee and donut QSR chain with thousands of U.S. locations. Comparable as a broad incumbent that pairs donuts with coffee — the same product pairing that The Donut Experiment monetizes.
• Tim Hortons: Canadian-based QSR chain with U.S. presence focused on coffee and donuts. Comparable as a broad incumbent combining donuts with specialty coffee, particularly relevant given The Donut Experiment's coffee pairing strategy.
• Krispy Kreme: National doughnut chain with company-owned and franchised stores plus grocery and foodservice distribution. Comparable as the dominant scaled incumbent in donuts, exerting pricing and brand pressure on boutique operators.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thedonutexperiment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-donut-experiment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Donut Experiment