Latest news with #HoleyConfections
Calgary Herald
12 hours ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
What makes this Ottawa doughnut better than a cronut is Canadian butter
Article content Article content In comparison, the doughnuts served at nearby Tim Hortons are not baked from scratch on site. Instead, they're partially baked at a large production facility, flash-frozen and then shipped to locations where they are finished off and served. Article content The Armstrongs plan to open a fourth location in Stittsville, as well as a store in Montreal, Tyler says. Article content He adds that he knows of no other doughnut business focused exclusively on 140-layer pastries. Article content The Armstrongs say business has succeeded because they've targeted the suburban market. Article content It's not that people in the 'burbs have sweeter teeth. But the families who live there are more likely to make bigger orders of a half-dozen doughnuts or more, while downtown couples and single folks buy a doughnut or two at a time, says Tyler, who has the data from pop-ups in downtown Ottawa to prove it. Nor are downtown students buying from Holey Confections because its price point is higher, he adds. Article content Article content Their doughnuts go for $5.80 a piece or $34.80, which isn't taxed, for six. Holey Confections sells roughly 2,000 doughnuts on a good Saturday. Article content The Armstrongs say that based on their social media and e-commerce data, more than 90 per cent of the people who follow Holey Confections are women. Article content Article content '(Women) are very organized. They're the planners for the party,' says Tyler. Article content In the spring of 2023, the Armstrongs pitched their business on Dragon's Den. The appearance, televised in early 2024, resulted in a buy-in of $500,000 for a quarter-share of Holey Confections and drove up the business's popularity in Ottawa. Article content If Holey Confections were ever to crack into the U.S. market with Canadian-made doughnuts, they might well prove better than their American competitors, the Armstrongs say. Article content The reason why: Canadian butter, the key ingredient in Holey Confections treats, is better than the U.S. stuff thanks to Canadian regulations, the Armstrongs say. Article content Article content 'In Canada, we have very strict guidelines for butters and milks. Our butter is better,' says Samantha. 'It's the biggest ingredient, and if it's not top quality, the doughnuts get stale quicker. They don't fluff and give those layers that you need.' Article content Pie Rogues' Russian hand pies Article content SuzyQ's doughnuts Article content Article content Article content
Vancouver Sun
12 hours ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
What makes this Ottawa doughnut better than a cronut is Canadian butter
3500 Fallowfield Rd., Unit 6 in Barrhaven; 2208 St. Joseph Blvd., Unit 112 in Orléans; 21 Bridge St. in Carleton Place, Because 'Cronut' is a U.S.-registered trademark, you won't catch the Kanata couple behind three Holey Confections locations in the Ottawa area using that catchy, common term. Even if the specialty treat sold at their stores in Barrhaven, Orléans and Carleton Place is indeed the love child of a croissant and a doughnut, Holey Confections' founders and owners, Tyler and Samantha Armstrong, refer to it more generically as a 140-layer doughnut. 'We're in the process of trademarking 'dossant,'' Samantha says. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Get past that sticking point, though, and you'll discover massive pastries in multiple flavours — Boston cream, cinnamon, New York strawberry cheesecake, raspberry apple, blueberry and maple bacon to name a few — that justify the business's preferred hashtag #DietStartsTomorrow. This month, I took home several of these sweet, flaky guilty pleasures and indulged sufficiently to say that if you're not dieting, then one of the Armstrongs' confections, or even a portion of one, is a fine morning or post-dinner treat. I was just as interested in the backstory behind the pastry. It's a tale of a former pandemic pastime turned smash-hit business. What began in the Armstrong's Kanata kitchen now employs 17, made a successful pitch to the moguls on the CBC show Dragons' Den and has ambitions to expand beyond Ottawa, into Montreal, across Canada and even into the U.S., where the Cronut debuted more than a decade ago at Dominque Ansel Bakery in New York. Tyler, an office worker whose job vanished after the arrival of COVID-19, and Samantha, an interior designer, began by making 140-layer doughnuts in their home soon after the pandemic started in March 2020. Their inspiration was Five Daughters Bakery, a Nashville, Tennessee business that made '100-layer doughnuts.' 'We thought we could do it better,' says Tyler. Buoyed by the enthusiasm of friends and neighbours, the Armstrongs were eventually mass-producing batches of 200 doughnuts from the baking facility they built in their basement. In the fall of 2021, the main Barrhaven location opened. In addition to selling doughnuts on site, it supplies stores that opened in Carleton Place in 2022 and in Orléans a year later. Behind the Barrhaven storefront, bakers are involved in what the Armstrongs call a very labour-intensive process, in which butter-rich, laminated dough is key. In comparison, the doughnuts served at nearby Tim Hortons are not baked from scratch on site. Instead, they're partially baked at a large production facility, flash-frozen and then shipped to locations where they are finished off and served. The Armstrongs plan to open a fourth location in Stittsville, as well as a store in Montreal, Tyler says. He adds that he knows of no other doughnut business focused exclusively on 140-layer pastries. The Armstrongs say business has succeeded because they've targeted the suburban market. It's not that people in the 'burbs have sweeter teeth. But the families who live there are more likely to make bigger orders of a half-dozen doughnuts or more, while downtown couples and single folks buy a doughnut or two at a time, says Tyler, who has the data from pop-ups in downtown Ottawa to prove it. Nor are downtown students buying from Holey Confections because its price point is higher, he adds. Their doughnuts go for $5.80 a piece or $34.80, which isn't taxed, for six. Holey Confections sells roughly 2,000 doughnuts on a good Saturday. The Armstrongs say that based on their social media and e-commerce data, more than 90 per cent of the people who follow Holey Confections are women. '(Women) are very organized. They're the planners for the party,' says Tyler. In the spring of 2023, the Armstrongs pitched their business on Dragon's Den . The appearance, televised in early 2024, resulted in a buy-in of $500,000 for a quarter-share of Holey Confections and drove up the business's popularity in Ottawa. If Holey Confections were ever to crack into the U.S. market with Canadian-made doughnuts, they might well prove better than their American competitors, the Armstrongs say. The reason why: Canadian butter, the key ingredient in Holey Confections treats, is better than the U.S. stuff thanks to Canadian regulations, the Armstrongs say. 'In Canada, we have very strict guidelines for butters and milks. Our butter is better,' says Samantha. 'It's the biggest ingredient, and if it's not top quality, the doughnuts get stale quicker. They don't fluff and give those layers that you need.' 'We have an advantage being Canadian,' she says. phum@ Previous Treats of the Week: Nanaimo bar chocolate chip cookies at Union Kitchen / Cafe / Local Store Tartelette's heart-shaped treats Pie Rogues' Russian hand pies SuzyQ's doughnuts Dubai Chocolate mini-pancakes and waffles at Yummy Waffle Bougatsa at the Nutty Greek Bake Shop Patriotic chocolate bars at Stubbe Chocolates Stuffed cookies at Stuffed Cookies By Kat Easter treats at Les Moulins La Fayette Maison Oddo's maple treats Casa Bonita's mochi doughnuts Want to stay in the know about what's happening in Ottawa? Sign up for the Ottawa Citizen's arts and life newsletter — Ottawa, Out of Office — our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, and watching.
Ottawa Citizen
12 hours ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
What makes this Ottawa doughnut better than a cronut is Canadian butter
Article content Article content In comparison, the doughnuts served at nearby Tim Hortons are not baked from scratch on site. Instead, they're partially baked at a large production facility, flash-frozen and then shipped to locations where they are finished off and served. Article content The Armstrongs plan to open a fourth location in Stittsville, as well as a store in Montreal, Tyler says. Article content He adds that he knows of no other doughnut business focused exclusively on 140-layer pastries. Article content The Armstrongs say business has succeeded because they've targeted the suburban market. Article content It's not that people in the 'burbs have sweeter teeth. But the families who live there are more likely to make bigger orders of a half-dozen doughnuts or more, while downtown couples and single folks buy a doughnut or two at a time, says Tyler, who has the data from pop-ups in downtown Ottawa to prove it. Nor are downtown students buying from Holey Confections because its price point is higher, he adds. Article content Article content Their doughnuts go for $5.80 a piece or $34.80, which isn't taxed, for six. Holey Confections sells roughly 2,000 doughnuts on a good Saturday. Article content The Armstrongs say that based on their social media and e-commerce data, more than 90 per cent of the people who follow Holey Confections are women. Article content Article content '(Women) are very organized. They're the planners for the party,' says Tyler. Article content In the spring of 2023, the Armstrongs pitched their business on Dragon's Den. The appearance, televised in early 2024, resulted in a buy-in of $500,000 for a quarter-share of Holey Confections and drove up the business's popularity in Ottawa. Article content If Holey Confections were ever to crack into the U.S. market with Canadian-made doughnuts, they might well prove better than their American competitors, the Armstrongs say. Article content The reason why: Canadian butter, the key ingredient in Holey Confections treats, is better than the U.S. stuff thanks to Canadian regulations, the Armstrongs say. Article content Article content 'In Canada, we have very strict guidelines for butters and milks. Our butter is better,' says Samantha. 'It's the biggest ingredient, and if it's not top quality, the doughnuts get stale quicker. They don't fluff and give those layers that you need.' Article content Pie Rogues' Russian hand pies Article content SuzyQ's doughnuts Article content Dubai Chocolate mini-pancakes and waffles at Yummy Waffle Article content Article content Article content
