Bizstartup.ie - NewsFresh doughnuts to fill a gap

In early 2009, Joy Moore, who runs the Oldtown Hill Bakehouse in County Kilkenny with her husband James, became aware of the fact that fresh doughnuts were not being produced on any mass scale in Ireland.

“We decided we’d look into it and see if there was a market there,” she explains. “In our research we saw that the market was growing quite rapidly in the UK for fresh doughnuts.” One of the drivers for this growth, according to Moore, is the relatively low price of fresh doughnuts, which makes them particularly attractive during a recession.

She also noted the fact that fresh doughnuts appear to be a good draw for Superquinn, which makes them for its own shops.

When she approached existing customers of the Oldtown Hill Bakehouse - which produces a range of high-end bakery products – a number of them expressed an interest in stocking fresh doughnuts.

After conducting extensive research and securing finance last September, the Moores began work on a building on the Oldtown Hill Bakehouse’s existing site, as well as investing in a state-of-the-art machine that can bake up to 50,000 doughnuts a day and uses a minimal amount of oil. “The particular machine we have is the Rolls Royce of doughnut fryers,” she explains.

While it took time to get the product right, the brand has been well received at initial public outings, including the Bloom festival in Dublin in June and a special Guaranteed Irish evening in Pearse Station in Dublin at the end of July.

Moore expects to start delivering the products to the shops at the beginning of September. “At the moment we’re waiting for the packaging to come and we’re about two weeks away from that,” she says.

She has plans to slowly extend the brand to include other confectionary products, like whoopie pies, over time.

“We’ve invested into this now and it’ll be very secure steps as we go along,” she says. “In the current environment, it’s not a time for massive risks.

“While this was a risk in that we borrowed to do it, I wouldn’t see it as a worry at all," she says. "Six jam doughnuts will sell out for €2.99. It’s not an expensive purchase.”

Pictured: Dolly's Donuts' James Moore displays whoopie pies, while Joy Moore shows off doughnuts from the range and young commuter Catherine Doherty from Co Antrim samples the products (picture Conor McCabe/Jason Clarke Photography)