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During the Great Depression, life was hard for everyone, and Vernon Rudolph was no exception. But at least he had a job helping his Kentucky uncle run his store.
Like many rural general stores, it featured numerous products, including a unique-tasting doughnut made from a secret New Orleans yeast recipe. The uncle wanted Vernon to sell the doughnuts door-to-door. But, Vernon had other ideas.
Along with two partners, Vernon settled in his wife’s hometown of Winston-Salem. He first sold doughnuts out of a 1936 Pontiac and then opened his first store.
He called it Krispy Kreme.
– Ron Smith, The North Carolina 100