Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph in Winston-Salem in 1937.
Rudolph acquired a yeast-raised doughnut recipe from a New Orleans chef and began selling doughnuts from a rented building in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The company’s early shops became known for producing doughnuts on site.
Krispy Kreme later became especially associated with its Original Glazed doughnut and with visible production lines in some shops. The brand expanded beyond its original North Carolina base through company stores, franchises and packaged retail products.
The company is sometimes confused with Dunkin’, another major American doughnut business. Dunkin’ began in Massachusetts, whereas Krispy Kreme’s origin story is tied specifically to Winston-Salem and Vernon Rudolph.