Popular donuts bring crowds to the Farmer's Market

Donuts bring crowds to the Farmer's Market (Added: June 25, 2010)

A sweet and sticky business plan for one family of entrepreneurs has become the talk of farmers markets and festivals across the region. The Kauffmans' hand-made donuts are all the rage. (more)

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Popular donuts bring crowds to the Farmer's Market

The Kauffmans' three daughters, friends, and relatives work together to make and sell their donuts.

By: Dana Wachter | TriCities.com
Published: June 25, 2010

Johnson City, Tenn. -- After the economy took a downturn, many entrepreneurs in the region have had to tweak their business models and get creative, to earn profits.
One sweet and sticky family-run business has become the talk of farmers markets and festivals across the region.
The Kauffman family shows up by 4:30 every Wednesday and Saturday morning, just to set up. By about 7:30, they've already got a line waiting for the goods.
Last July, after father, Roman Kauffman said his roofing business was going slow, his wife, who had grown up in a bakery, had the idea for the donuts.
They started making the dough at home, and frying the donuts with gas stoves at the market. They said they would be sold out in just a couple hours.
Now, the Kauffmans use a generator, and make the donuts from scratch right in the parking lot. They say as soon as the line starts, their sales don't stop until the farmer's market closes.
"Our line was creating a problem with other vendors," says Roman Kauffman, "They were just blocking off the other vendors coming in close to the tents, so we moved to this end to the very end so that won't happen, we can let our line go on around the back here."
The Johnson City Farmer's Market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Kauffmans say they'll start selling out of a concession trailer in the next few weeks. They also sell their donuts at local festivals.