Photo Courtesy of Andrew Cameron
By and large, donuts are one of the nation’s most popular treats. Even though 10 billion are consumed annually, they often have a one-size-fits-all mentality.
That is until Andrew Cameron came along. He believed that donuts deserved a glow-up, and that’s exactly what he set out to do when he opened Donutology back in 2016. He designed a business model that features signature-from-scratch, bite-sized mini-donuts that allow donut lovers to customize their donuts with a curated menu of toppings, drizzles, and icings.
The Lansing, KS native tells us his menu often reflects cultural phenomena like our beloved Kansas City football, baseball, and soccer teams and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—complete with custom donut designs.
In fact, Donutology’s bevy of Swift-inspired donuts was so popular with the singer’s fanbase that USA Today, Forbes, and The Toronto Star came to check out the bakery’s donut mania. (And, yes—before you ask—they taste just as decadent as they look.)
When Cameron’s not obsessing over his customer’s donut experience, he’s busy giving back to the community. Cameron donates products to non-profits, schools, churches, and fundraisers, just to name a few. “Donuts are a happy food,” he says. “Have you ever seen anyone unhappy while eating a donut?”
Photo Courtesy of Andrew Cameron
We caught up with the pastry mogul over coffee and his newest creation—a cinnamon roll-donut hybrid. (Sweet baby, it was good—emphasis on sweet.) He dutifully answered our whackadoo questionnaire while we got hopped up on icing and glaze. Bless.
The Pitch: If you were a dance move, what dance move would you be?
Andrew Cameron: Definitely the water sprinkler! I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how my grass needs to be green where I water it! Also, because I suck at dancing—I’m a tall guy with long arms, so the move is super effective.
What’s your all-time favorite Xmas ornament?
I actually collect the KC mayor’s Christmas tree ornaments and have a separate tree dedicated to just them. I am still after a lot of ’80s and ’90s ornaments to add to my collection. I even have one signed by our current mayor.
If you could meet with any celeb virtually, who would it be?
Photo Courtesy of Andrew Cameron
Donutology has had its share of sports, music, and food celebrities order donuts over the years for special occasions and no occasion at all—just because they love donuts. Celebrities are such a subjective category, but I tend to admire people in the business world. So, I would choose Jony Ive, who used to lead design at Apple. Anyone that combines creativity and business is iconic in my book!
Admit it, what’s the weirdest donut request you’ve had?
We do a lot of custom donuts for customers—everything from prom-posals, birthdays, baby and bridal showers, various cartoons/movie themes.
I will say, we have had to nix some custom ones over some less than savory themes and language. I might‘ve laughed at them personally, but I thought they better not be in a Donutology box!