Krispy Kreme began selling doughnuts from its first shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1937.
Vernon Rudolph founded the company after acquiring a secret yeast-raised doughnut recipe and opening a shop on South Main Street. The business initially sold doughnuts to local grocery stores, but the aroma from the shop attracted passing customers, encouraging direct retail sales.
The company became especially associated with its Original Glazed doughnut and the illuminated sign used to indicate that fresh doughnuts were being made. Krispy Kreme later expanded nationally and internationally through company-owned shops, franchises, and supermarket distribution.
The year 1937 marks the opening of Krispy Kreme’s first shop, not the founding of every later doughnut-production facility. It is also different from the year Rudolph acquired the recipe or the dates when the company entered particular countries.