"We Didn't Know What We Were Doing!" The Holy Donut C.E.O. Talks Rocky Beginning & Turning Maine'...

"You should sell these!"


That's what Jeff Buckwalter (  / maine_woods_wanderer  ) said to his sister-in-law, Leigh Kellis (  / womenwhoneeddonuts  ) , when he first took a bite of the potato-based donut she made in her home kitchen.


Soon after, Leigh took his advice by opening The Holy Donut (  / holydonutmaine  ) on Park Avenue in Portland, M.E., in 2012.


A year later, after the Instagram-friendly potato donuts became a hit in the town, Kellis brought Jeff -- with nearly two decades of big business experience under his belt -- to turn The Holy Donut into a legitimate company.


The Holy Donut has been featured in Bon Appetit magazine, The Boston Globe (https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle...) , and CNN, and has become a staple in Portland, considered by many to be the "foodiest city in America." They also ship their beloved donuts nationwide.


From the West End of Portsmouth, The Holy Donut C.E.O. Jeff Buckwalter joins host Troy Farkas (  / troy_farkas  ) to discuss why he joined the family business in 2013, the mess he inherited when he came on board, how Portland became a foodie destination, and the surge in national press The Holy Donut received in the first half of the 2010s. Plus, why they opened more locations, how the pandemic nearly crushed the business, and how they're pivoting their business model as a result.


CHAPTERS:

• The Holy Donut origin story (00:00)
• Why The Holy Donut exploded in the early 2010s (08:32)
• Leaving a high-paying career to join The Holy Donut (13:38)
• 50% off a Yoga East 5-class pack! (16:45)
• The MESS Jeff found himself in when he joined (18:40)
• The insane national media attention The Holy Donut has gotten (27:04)
• Keeping up with high demand & opening more stores (31:20)
• Visit TheDripBar for preventative health! (43:30)
• How The Holy Donut has pivoted during tough times (45:10)
• Jeff's struggles with depression from running this business (57:00)
• Jeff's love for nature and hunting (01:07:05)
• How do you want to be remembered? (01:12:52)





To order The Holy Donut straight to your door, you can check out your options here. (https://delivery.theholydonut.com/?_g...)


To support "Seacoast Stories," follow the show on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...) or ⁠Spotify⁠⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/episode/12IM...) . You can also sign up for the next ⁠⁠Seacoast Stories Dinner Club⁠⁠ (https://seacoaststories.dnnr.io/ss) on Wed. 8/20 in Dover, N.H.


THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• ⁠Yoga East⁠ (https://www.yogaeastyoga.com/) : Sign up for a 5-class card and use the coupon code “STORIES” at checkout to get 50% off!
• The DripBar (https://thedripbar.com/portsmouth/) : Set up your IV drip membership today!
• David Higgins: The official investment office of "Seacoast Stories!" Email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ (mailto:[email protected]) to get started.





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