Krispy Kreme's underground doughnut reseller is coming back
Minnesotans will be able to continue enjoying their cross-state doughnut fix without issue now that an entrepreneurial college student has gotten a thumbs up from Krispy Kreme.
Champlin resident, Jayson Gonzalez, saw an open opportunity for turning a profit reselling Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Minnesota. The state hasn’t had an open franchise in eleven years.
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In this Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 photo, Jayson Gonzalez reaches into his car for another box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts for customers in Little Canada, Minn, who ordered online. Gonzalez, a Minnesota college student, says Krispy Kreme has told him to s (Deanna Weniger/Pioneer Press via AP)
The 21-year-old accounting major turned delivery driver would journey 270 miles from St. Paul, Minn. to Clive, Iowa – the nearest Krispy Kreme store – and would order about 100 boxes containing a dozen doughnuts each for his sweet-toothed customers.
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Gonzalez charged between $17 and $20 per box, which earned him a $9 to $12 profit over Krispy Kreme’s $8 charge for 12 original glazed doughnuts. Assorted varieties and specialty variants, of course, cost more.
According to Gonzalez in an article from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the money he earns from his enterprising business has been used to pay down his student loans.
In this Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 photo, Catherine Newton, left, buys three boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts from Jayson Gonzalez in Little Canada, Minn. Gonzalez, a Minnesota college student, says Krispy Kreme has told him to stop making doughnut runs (Deanna Weniger/Pioneer Press via AP)
When news broke about the venture, higher-ups at Krispy Kreme’s Nebraska office asked Gonzalez to cease operations right before his 20th run. He followed suit and made an announcement about the exchange to his Facebook followers on Halloween – which delivered no tricks or treats.
"I have been told I have to shut down operations," Gonzalez wrote on his business page Krispy Kreme Run Minnesota. "I figured it would come eventually, but it arrived early."
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After a few days of deliberation and subsequent social media outrage from Minnesota locals and admirers nationwide, Krispy Kreme changed its mind.
“UPDATE!!!” Gonzalez shared on Monday, “I have received a call directly from Krispy Kreme, and we are working together!”
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The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation told FOX Business that Gonzalez will soon be able to sell their sugary confections legally in the near future.
“We reached out to Jayson to express our appreciation for his love of Krispy Kreme and admiration for his entrepreneurial spirit. We are going to help him achieve his goals, which include being debt-free when he graduates in 2021, in part by selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts,” the chain wrote in an email.
“Our intent regarding the temporary stoppage of him selling doughnuts was to ensure product quality and regulatory compliance to protect both Jayson and Krispy Kreme. Our main concern is that the doughnuts Jayson sells maintain our high product quality standards, given the distance and manner in which he is transporting and distributing them. So, we are happy to work with Jayson as an independent operator to ensure consistent delivery of our high-quality doughnuts to our fans in Minnesota.”
Krispy Kreme added that it intends to donate 500 dozen doughnuts when Gonzalez restarts his business.
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Gonzalez has started a fundraiser on the public donation website GoFundMe with a goal of raising $20,000 to upgrade from his 2008 Ford Focus to a larger vehicle that is fit for delivering Krispy Kreme doughnuts.