Specialty creations such as Strawberry Champagne Toast, Triple Berry Coconut, Swedish Fish, Chocolate Raspberry Confetti, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie with caramel and orange dream lure donut lovers from throughout the area to The Donut Hole in Stayton.
“During the weekdays, people want the classics,” said Mindy Kaur, speaking for her family-owned donut shop. “On the weekend they want all the fancy donuts, something different. We have gourmet donuts that take a lot of thinking to come up with combinations, to make the whips, to assemble. Special credit goes to our master decorator Lyndsey Nicole Rojas-Ortiz, who started the trend of gourmet donuts in Scio and has helped expand it to Stayton. The specialty donuts take more product to make, that causes the costs to go up.”
Kaur said the family never say no to trying new creations.
“We’re always making something new,” she said. “Even we can’t tell you how many different donuts we make.”
Guava Burst and Pineapple Burst are the latest in the shop’s donut lineup, with new creations coming out daily. Maple bars are one of the most popular classic choices. Icing flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, marionberry, peach, orange and others with sprinkles round out a wide selection. The shop also carries crème-filled including donut holes and an array of fritters, including apple.
In late January, Daisy the Donut Fairy made a “visit” so that elementary school kids could listen to her story and then draw a picture of their own donut idea to be traded for what else – a free donut!
“Kiddo loved the story and loved getting his free donut!” posted Kimra Tollefson on the shop’s Facebook page. “He was so excited, he drew three pictures!”
Kaur’s father, Jaswant “Jesse” Singh, immigrated to the United States in 1992, followed by his wife, Manjit Kaur; son, Harry Singh; and Mindy, who immigrated four years later. Today the family has grown to include spouses, grandchildren and many cousins who are all actively involved in the family business.
“My father was originally a farm worker, then got his truck license and was in an accident,” said Kaur. “The accident left my father with a bad back, and he was told he would qualify for disability. My father turned it down, not wanting to use government assistance unless it was the last resort, and took a few months to figure out what he was going to do since he could not drive semi-truck anymore. He got a job at a donut shop and eventually used his savings and the money from the accident payout to buy his first donut shop.”
Located in California, the family ran the shop together, with the two youngsters helping at ages eight and six.
“The minute they stepped into The Donut Hole, it all came to them,” said Kaur. “It was funny because our original bakers had spent a few months training part time at another shop but weren’t feeling confident and watching them step in a shop 20 years later and telling them how everything is made was shocking.
“It’s definitely in their blood,” she added. “It makes sense now why my father wanted to open one. It’s their calling.”
Despite working with COVID protocols since opening in November, Kaur believes sales are going strong.
“We have settled into a routine and employees are getting more confident,” she said. “This has helped improve quality of the product and service we offer.”
The Donut Hole is open around the clock, seven days a week. Kaur said the location, at 265 N. First Ave., is not set up for outside seating, however, future plans include expanding coffee offerings and online ordering to cut down on wait times.
“We want our community involvement and the fun we have with the donuts to put Stayton on the map,” she said. “We want to be known as the happy place, where if you’re having a bad day, you can get a donut and a smile.”
Kaur said the shop has provided a platform to give back to the community not offered by their previous business ventures.
“We’re in the process of setting up a nonprofit ourselves that just focuses on helping people and scholarships for the local children,” she said. “We are hoping to announce it in the coming months.”
Meanwhile, The Donut Hole has launched contests for youth and is donating to different charities each month.
“We donate $250 and put collection cans at our locations to try to match that or even beat that,” Kaur explained. “This month is Family Building Blocks.”
The family also own the Stayton Stop-N-Save, next to The Donut Hole, as well as Stop-N-Save stores in Salem, Brooks, Scio, Sublimity, Mill City and Aumsville. Close family members own the Dude Donut City in Salem as well as Stop-N-Saves in Salem, Monmouth, Albany and Rickreal.
“We are grateful to have this opportunity to run a fun business that we are enjoying whole-heartedly,” said Kaur. “And I think it shows in our donuts!”
For information, call 503-769-3384 or visit The Donut Hole on Facebook.
