Australians will soon be able to pick up a box of Doughnut Time doughnuts when they fuel up at their local Ampol service stations in a new partnership that aims to boost the petrol company’s premium offering and revive the brand of the once-troubled confectionary business.
Doughnut Time and Ampol have struck a national supply deal that will see the hand-made treats roll out across all 650 Ampol Foodary stores by the end of 2023, starting with Victoria on Monday.
“It really sucked watching the darling child of Australian doughnuts stumble. It’s great to be a part of trying to restore that again,” said Doughnut Time supermarket and convenience head James Willis, who founded the gourmet cupcake-in-a-jar business The Mason Baker in 2016.
The Brisbane doughnut chain entered liquidation in March 2018 after its original founder former lawyer Damian Griffiths ran out of cash trying to expand too quickly. The once 30-store empire was then purchased by Gold Coast entrepreneur Peter Andros, who now operates its much smaller retail footprint of three stores in Queensland, while Willis handles the brand’s rapidly growing supermarket and convenience arm.
The hand-made doughnuts will be rolled out across Ampol Foodary stores in NSW and Queensland by March 2023, with the rest of the states to follow. Doughnut Time is currently stocked in Coles Express in Queensland, Woolworths Metro in NSW and Queensland, and Freedom Fuel in Queensland.
Willis said the ASX-listed petrol company had reached out to explore an exclusive supply deal with a brand that “people will cross the road for”, describing the doughnut market as “really heated” at the moment. Convenience store chain 7-11 notably stocks Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
Ampol rebranded from Caltex in August 2020 and has spent the last two years growing its convenience store offerings, with its partnership with Woolworths growing to 50-odd MetroGo stores around Australia. Ampol’s Pimpama service station in Queensland features a drive-through ramen restaurant.
Ampol merchandise general manager Skye Jackson said Ampol was keen to stock “emerging local businesses” as a point of difference.
“We see our new relationship with Doughnut Time and our other existing relationships with other start-up Aussie businesses, such as Funday Sweets and Bennett Street Dairy cookies which are available in our MetroGo sites, as an opportunity to provide exciting new Australian products to our customers,” Jackson said.
“These are brands that produce a differentiated and quality product, which many customers wouldn’t have otherwise had access to.”
Ampol also works closely with suppliers to create fresh products that “work specifically for our customers in different parts of Australia”, she added. “Expect some flavour innovation in the future.”
Ampol’s existing deal with Uber Eats means customers can have Doughnut Time delivered to their door once the roll-out is completed in their area.
While Doughnut Time has production facilities in every state, Willis said the company was focused on a gradual roll-out to ensure product consistency and quality and to avoid the mistakes of its previous owners.
He added that Andros was deliberately keeping its retail footprint small before deciding to expand. “We’re just boiling down to basics … [Andros] has been pretty instrumental in working from the retail point of view to restore its former glory.”
Doughnut Time’s 2023 roll-outs in each state will be accompanied by launch events, Willis said. “Expect some free doughnuts coming to stores.”
Extracted from The Sydney Morning Herald