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Krispy Kreme Co-Founder Lewis Rudolph Dies At 95

By Amanda Lager
Published on: 03:07 PST, Jan 1, 2015

William Lewis Rudolph, one of the co-founders of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., died on Sunday, December 28 in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Rudolph, who went by Lewis, was only a teenager when he joined his family in the doughnut business. Mr. Rudolph worked through the Great Depression alongside his brother, Vernon, to build the brand, which now serves millions of doughnuts worldwide.

The Winston-Salem Journal writes that Mr. Rudolph and his brother took a secret recipe from a New Orleans chef and turned it into a success. The yeast-raised doughnuts shop moved to Winston-Salem, and opened doors as “Krispy Kreme” in 1937. It soon grew in popularity, allowing Vernon and Lewis to open more stores. Lewis eventually became the company’s vice president, while Mr. Rudolph retired in 1985.

Krispy Kreme released a statement on Mr. Rudolph’s death, celebrating their co-founder.

“While many of us may have never had the pleasure of meeting Lewis, he has been extolled and will be celebrated as ‘a very caring and family oriented man’ and a significant part of our corporate history.”

Mr. Rudolph was raised on a farm near Paducah, Kentucky, according to the Tennessean. Mr. Rudolph’s father, Plumie, ran the local general store. Vernon and an uncle began making doughnuts, but struggled to do business during the Depression. Eventually, Plumie bought out the doughnut-making venture. Lewis started out in that shop, mixing ingredients by hand and working alongside his father, sister, and two brothers.

Krispy Kreme started with that Charlotte Pike store, and then expanded to Charleston, West Virginia, to Atlanta, and then to Winston-Salem. Eight stores existed in 1947, when the brothers incorporated them. In 1976, the company merged with Beatrice Foods Company of Chicago. Mr. Rudolph rallied with franchisees around a buyout in 1983 when sales figures were poor with Beatrice Foods. Krispy Kreme has been publicly traded since 2000. The company’s current reach expands over 975 locations and 20 countries.

Mr. Rudolph’s Krispy Kreme is now a worldwide brand. The Inquisitr recently covered the alternative marketing, in which the company has recently engaged. Their Krispy Kreme Double Hundred Dozen box holds 2,400 doughnuts for a staggering 504,000 calories total. The business also makes themed doughnuts for celebrations and events like the Ghostbusters anniversary and Talk Like a Pirate Day.

[Photo Sources: The Tennessean and New York Post]

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