Neatly stacked rows showcasing sprinkled, glazed and powdered doughnuts welcome customers into Mighty-O Donuts on North 55th Street in Wallingford.
"People love doughnuts. That's what got me into the business," owner Ryan Kellner said. "One of our more humble goals is to just give people a real doughnut."
In creating the company, Kellner said he was guided by the desire to promote and produce organic food. As a business owner, he wanted to run a company with strong values.
Six years after selling his first doughnut at the U-District Street Fair, Kellner said the company has never sacrificed these values: "It was a slow learning process, but with a goal like ours I think we'll go far."
A healthy treat
From the organic flour and sugar to the locally grown raspberries and other real fruit used, Mighty-O bakes only with certified organic ingredients and nothing artificial. Even the colored sprinkles are organic.
Additionally, Kellner said all doughnuts produced are vegan and free of trans fat.
Being the only local doughnut shop currently producing doughnuts without trans fat puts Mighty-O ahead of the industry. Especially since Jan. 1, when a new requirement by the Food and Drug Administration went into effect requiring trans fat to be delineated on all food labels.
Donna Oberg, a registered dietician with the Seattle-King County Public Health department, said there's evidence that trans fat not only raises bad cholesterol (LDL), but decreases the good cholesterol (HDL), which, as Oberg explained, "can contribute to the risk of developing heart disease and stroke because it causes artery problems."
Formed when liquid vegetable oils are exposed to hydrogen, the result is a stiffer, solid fat. "These are used to provide longer shelf life and improve taste, shape and texture," Oberg said. "You can find them in many processed or fried foods.
"You don't get a whole lot of nutritional value from a doughnut," she added. And for that reason she doesn't believe any doughnut should be part of a regular diet, but does believe purchasing local food is beneficial: "The closer you are to the produce, the more nutrients you'll gain. I think it would be good for the industry to go in that direction."
If you do chose a doughnut, Oberg notes that "portion size can make a big difference." She also points out that "there are always good choices even within not the healthiest options."
A unique treat
Jan Held said she frequents Mighty-O for several reasons: "I'm vegan, so I can't have doughnuts normally. Plus, they're really good. This lets me eat something really decadent."
Although the prices are a little higher than average, Held said, "It's still cheaper than a cup of coffee. You pay for what you get. If you wanted to go cheap, you can just go to McDonald's."
Kellner said there have been challenges to developing and producing these doughnuts: "We don't buy from bakery suppliers because we set our standards high. There was no bakery supplier to go to, so we had to make it ourselves."
Offering more than 30 flavors, Kellner believes creativity is an important part of the process. "We take suggestions from customers and employees," he said.
Held said her favorite doughnut flavor is "anything with chocolate. Also, the lemon poppyseed is to die for."
Other flavors include chocolate raspberry; French toast; good ol glazed; and nutty vanilla.
Kellner said employees work around the clock to keep flavors fresh and original. "This is our laboratory. That's where a lot of flavors come from or where they get perfected."
With fewer than a dozen employees, Kellner said of his crew, "Most of them are just creative, hard-working individuals making it happen day and night."
Traveling far and wide
The effort has paid off for Kellner, who said his doughnuts have been growing in demand on a national scale. "Nationally, our doughnuts go far. Someone last week came in and flew them to London," he said. "I like to think of this place as a nice secret for customers to discover."
A new partnership with Spud.com has allowed Mighty-O to sell doughnuts directly to customers on-line through its own Web site and ship to most locations.
Without investing in paid advertisements, Kellner counts on customers to help sell doughnuts. "Word-of-mouth has been a great success. That's when you know you have something good."
[[In-content Ad]]
