Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme in Cannington, Western Australia | |
| Krispy Kreme | |
| Company type | Public |
| |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | July 13, 1937 |
| Founder | Vernon Rudolph |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
Number of locations | 1,400 |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products |
|
| Revenue | US$1.627 billion (2023) |
| US$-8.725 million (2024) | |
| US$3.095 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$3.072 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$1.164 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | 21,000 (December 29, 2024) |
| Website | krispykreme |
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. 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. The brand name is a deliberate non-standard spelling of "crispy cream", for marketing effect.