Your First Look Inside Krispy Kreme New Zealand

Oh Krispy Kreme, where do I even begin? I have fond memories of Krispy Kreme - the sheer joy of miraculously being near Krispy Kreme just as the 'Hot Now' sign is switched on, that first bite of the Original Glazed doughnut fresh off the oven, spotting the iconic green-dotted box at a party and knowing that you were about to be served these delicious, delicious doughnuts soon... and it's been 9 years since I've last had one.













Until yesterday. Actually, I lied. I chanced upon the Krispy Kreme van at Britomart a week ago and had a sneaky one. But still. Nine long years of missing Krispy Kreme since moving to New Zealand and the drought is finally OVER! *does happy dance, howls like a wolf, high fives everyone around me*













I actually squealed when I read the e-invite (is this still a cool thing to say? why do I feel so old saying this? lol), especially when I found out I could bring a plus one because "doughnuts are meant to be shared, after all!" so I took my dad along to the Manukau store for the VIP launch yesterday afternoon.



My dad brought a selfie stick and his sense of humour (this photo though... can't take him anywhere!) along with a camera so my friends and I have started calling him insta-dad. He took videos for his vlog, and took photos of me while I was too busy doing snaps on my Instastory and trying to focus on decorating my own donut (mine turned out ugly but was delicious so really it's what's on the inside that counts). I might just take him as plus one to every event from now on! We were laughing cos he was really into it and knew the drill, unsurprising since he's spent most of his life as media so he's even better at events like this than I am!







In terms of media launches though, this is by far one of my most favourites yet. I felt so spoilt the entire time! I told my colleagues I was 'off to live my best live' as I bid them goodbye, but not before taking doughnut orders because as it turns out, everyone is as hyped for Krispy Kreme as I was. The day was off to a fantastic start as Krispy Kreme gave us free Uber rides so I did my make-up at the back of the Uber while the driver turned up the aircon so my make-up wouldn't melt. Bless. We talked about Krispy Kreme and I think after that ride I made a pretty solid case on why these doughnuts are worth queuing up for.




My excitement levels went up a notch when I spotted Angela and Robecca in the queue. Always so great to see friendly faces at events and makes things 100% times better when you have people to share the experience with. I loved the doughnut step and repeat and had such a blast taking photos with the props!




I walked in the store and was greeted by Nicola. I must say giving us our own lanyards with our names on it made for an even more personal experience, and I liked the familiarity and camaraderie I had with the Krispy Kreme team after the launch. Anyway, Nicola gave me a quick tour of the store and told me about some of the activities they had in store for us that day before taking me to the counter for some drinks. The milkshake choices though. Oh my goodness!!! I ended up choosing Kookies N' Kreme but one sip of Georgie's Original Glazed shake and I was hooked. I couldn't quite believe that it tasted EXACTLY like the doughnut. HOW THOUGH!?




Shoutout to Ronald (pictured below) who knew all about that Instagram life when I asked if I could take a photo of him and he immediately creative directed the whole thing and roped the other team to do poses with him!











We were welcomed by Andrew McGuigan, CEO of Krispy Kreme, Australia and New Zealand, and it was interesting to hear about the journey in finally getting Krispy Kreme to NZ! Funnily enough, in the last 24 hours I've had a few people ask me where the store was and immediately questioned why Manukau as soon as I told them. Krispy Kreme makes everything from scratch in this factory, so naturally they need ample space to do so. This building created just for them allows for two production lines and and when running at full capacity can apparently make 4,320 doughnuts an hour. Kinda nuts, right? They are also estimating about 180 new jobs created because of this new opening so more doughnuts for you and I, and more jobs available is such a win for us.




Afterwards, we were put into smaller groups with our very own guide who would take us to three different activities for the day. First up? Decorating our very own doughnuts!











(Ari and I showing off them pink doughnuts)




I started out with such grand plans for my doughnut design, to be honest. I searched the two candy tables, carefully planning how I want it to look. I was going for a dainty theme - pink and pearl crystals, silver ball (what are they called!?), pink frosting... but they didn't exactly turn out the way I envisioned it in my head. I ate them anyway. My dad's one ended up ugly AF though but his had M&Ms in it so my little brothers went crazy for them after. I mean, it's what's on the inside that counts, right?!











Then it was time for a sneak peek of what goes on behind the scenes. So armed with hairnets, in we went. We got to see raw dough and learned a bit about the machines that make these world famous doughnuts and it was so fascinating to see it in action! The glazing machine was so dare I say it, beautiful?! Also that snap of me captured by the Krispy Kreme team is honestly the most focussed I've looked all week! LOL. Sorry, work fam :) :) :)




But the highlight of this part of the tour for me was when we got to eat some doughnuts (hehehe of course) straight out of the production line! Friends. This. Is. As. Fresh. As. It. Gets.




"It's so... light," Colin said as he took a bite and he's right. For some reason, I remembered Krispy Kreme to be slightly oilier than that but to my surprise, it wasn't. It's soft and sweet and delicious and basically so much better than I remembered!




Afterwards, we moved on to the glazing area where I devastatingly found out that I basically had no future in doughnut glazing and decorating. I tried to glaze a doughnut with some strawberry frosting and was so nervous I was gonna drop it but loved that they taught us the correct way to do it even if some of us clearly don't have what it takes :(




Also discovered that I look horrendous when wearing a hairnet. JayJay showed me her chocolate finger (it's funnier than it sounds) and we couldn't stop laughing so my #instadad took photos like the GB that he is. I, however, am probably never going to post it here because wow I didn't realise I had that many chins. BUT my girls however looks amazing as usual so here's me, Bailee, and Ari behind the scenes. Doughnuts, but make it FASHUN!









We ended the afternoon with more milkshakes (because why not, right?) and this time I made sure to get the Original Glazed. I took very tiny sips (who knew I had this much self-control TBH) so I could take it home and share with mum and my brothers. I forgot the part where I was gonna uber home (yes, they also took us home after the event! What did I tell you? Spoilt!) with all my work gear and loot and shakes but oh well. It was so worth it.













It was such an honour to be one of the first people inside the store (the kind of story I'll be telling grandkids when I'm old and grey... "did you know your nana was one of the first people inside the first ever Krispy Kreme store in NZ" and they'll be all like, "oh, you're so cool nana. what's a blog" lol) and I'm so so so excited to be able to treat myself to a Krispy Kreme doughnut and shake when I feel like it!




I spent the rest of my Friday in bed surrounded by all these doughnuts (my concerned nana messaged me all the way from California - "easy on the sugar, Jess. Although I must say Krispy Kreme is one tasty doughnut!") and I'm like... I'm sharing, of course!




Thank you for having us, Krispy Kreme NZ and Eleven PR. It was the best Friday I've had in a long time and I'm super grateful for the treats.




Krispy Kreme NZ opens 8 am Wednesday, February 28th. 3 Ronwood Avenue, Manukau Auckland. Every guest will be treated to a free Krispy Kreme doughnut upon arrival, there's in-store activities, giveaways, and a live DJ until late. It's gonna be a banger, friends. Let's go!




P.S. the store has a drive through

P.P.S. you (we) can start lining up from Monday (26 Feb)

P.P.P.S. if you're first in line, you get to win a one year supply of doughnuts. This is not a drill!

Oh Krispy Kreme, where do I even begin? I have fond memories of Krispy Kreme - the sheer joy of miraculously being near Krispy Kreme just as the 'Hot Now' sign is switched on, that first bite of the Original Glazed doughnut fresh off the oven, spotting the iconic green-dotted box at a party and knowing that you were about to be served these delicious, delicious doughnuts soon... and it's been 9 years since I've last had one.













Until yesterday. Actually, I lied. I chanced upon the Krispy Kreme van at Britomart a week ago and had a sneaky one. But still. Nine long years of missing Krispy Kreme since moving to New Zealand and the drought is finally OVER! *does happy dance, howls like a wolf, high fives everyone around me*













I actually squealed when I read the e-invite (is this still a cool thing to say? why do I feel so old saying this? lol), especially when I found out I could bring a plus one because "doughnuts are meant to be shared, after all!" so I took my dad along to the Manukau store for the VIP launch yesterday afternoon.



My dad brought a selfie stick and his sense of humour (this photo though... can't take him anywhere!) along with a camera so my friends and I have started calling him insta-dad. He took videos for his vlog, and took photos of me while I was too busy doing snaps on my Instastory and trying to focus on decorating my own donut (mine turned out ugly but was delicious so really it's what's on the inside that counts). I might just take him as plus one to every event from now on! We were laughing cos he was really into it and knew the drill, unsurprising since he's spent most of his life as media so he's even better at events like this than I am!







In terms of media launches though, this is by far one of my most favourites yet. I felt so spoilt the entire time! I told my colleagues I was 'off to live my best live' as I bid them goodbye, but not before taking doughnut orders because as it turns out, everyone is as hyped for Krispy Kreme as I was. The day was off to a fantastic start as Krispy Kreme gave us free Uber rides so I did my make-up at the back of the Uber while the driver turned up the aircon so my make-up wouldn't melt. Bless. We talked about Krispy Kreme and I think after that ride I made a pretty solid case on why these doughnuts are worth queuing up for.




My excitement levels went up a notch when I spotted Angela and Robecca in the queue. Always so great to see friendly faces at events and makes things 100% times better when you have people to share the experience with. I loved the doughnut step and repeat and had such a blast taking photos with the props!




I walked in the store and was greeted by Nicola. I must say giving us our own lanyards with our names on it made for an even more personal experience, and I liked the familiarity and camaraderie I had with the Krispy Kreme team after the launch. Anyway, Nicola gave me a quick tour of the store and told me about some of the activities they had in store for us that day before taking me to the counter for some drinks. The milkshake choices though. Oh my goodness!!! I ended up choosing Kookies N' Kreme but one sip of Georgie's Original Glazed shake and I was hooked. I couldn't quite believe that it tasted EXACTLY like the doughnut. HOW THOUGH!?




Shoutout to Ronald (pictured below) who knew all about that Instagram life when I asked if I could take a photo of him and he immediately creative directed the whole thing and roped the other team to do poses with him!











We were welcomed by Andrew McGuigan, CEO of Krispy Kreme, Australia and New Zealand, and it was interesting to hear about the journey in finally getting Krispy Kreme to NZ! Funnily enough, in the last 24 hours I've had a few people ask me where the store was and immediately questioned why Manukau as soon as I told them. Krispy Kreme makes everything from scratch in this factory, so naturally they need ample space to do so. This building created just for them allows for two production lines and and when running at full capacity can apparently make 4,320 doughnuts an hour. Kinda nuts, right? They are also estimating about 180 new jobs created because of this new opening so more doughnuts for you and I, and more jobs available is such a win for us.




Afterwards, we were put into smaller groups with our very own guide who would take us to three different activities for the day. First up? Decorating our very own doughnuts!











(Ari and I showing off them pink doughnuts)




I started out with such grand plans for my doughnut design, to be honest. I searched the two candy tables, carefully planning how I want it to look. I was going for a dainty theme - pink and pearl crystals, silver ball (what are they called!?), pink frosting... but they didn't exactly turn out the way I envisioned it in my head. I ate them anyway. My dad's one ended up ugly AF though but his had M&Ms in it so my little brothers went crazy for them after. I mean, it's what's on the inside that counts, right?!











Then it was time for a sneak peek of what goes on behind the scenes. So armed with hairnets, in we went. We got to see raw dough and learned a bit about the machines that make these world famous doughnuts and it was so fascinating to see it in action! The glazing machine was so dare I say it, beautiful?! Also that snap of me captured by the Krispy Kreme team is honestly the most focussed I've looked all week! LOL. Sorry, work fam :) :) :)




But the highlight of this part of the tour for me was when we got to eat some doughnuts (hehehe of course) straight out of the production line! Friends. This. Is. As. Fresh. As. It. Gets.




"It's so... light," Colin said as he took a bite and he's right. For some reason, I remembered Krispy Kreme to be slightly oilier than that but to my surprise, it wasn't. It's soft and sweet and delicious and basically so much better than I remembered!




Afterwards, we moved on to the glazing area where I devastatingly found out that I basically had no future in doughnut glazing and decorating. I tried to glaze a doughnut with some strawberry frosting and was so nervous I was gonna drop it but loved that they taught us the correct way to do it even if some of us clearly don't have what it takes :(




Also discovered that I look horrendous when wearing a hairnet. JayJay showed me her chocolate finger (it's funnier than it sounds) and we couldn't stop laughing so my #instadad took photos like the GB that he is. I, however, am probably never going to post it here because wow I didn't realise I had that many chins. BUT my girls however looks amazing as usual so here's me, Bailee, and Ari behind the scenes. Doughnuts, but make it FASHUN!









We ended the afternoon with more milkshakes (because why not, right?) and this time I made sure to get the Original Glazed. I took very tiny sips (who knew I had this much self-control TBH) so I could take it home and share with mum and my brothers. I forgot the part where I was gonna uber home (yes, they also took us home after the event! What did I tell you? Spoilt!) with all my work gear and loot and shakes but oh well. It was so worth it.













It was such an honour to be one of the first people inside the store (the kind of story I'll be telling grandkids when I'm old and grey... "did you know your nana was one of the first people inside the first ever Krispy Kreme store in NZ" and they'll be all like, "oh, you're so cool nana. what's a blog" lol) and I'm so so so excited to be able to treat myself to a Krispy Kreme doughnut and shake when I feel like it!




I spent the rest of my Friday in bed surrounded by all these doughnuts (my concerned nana messaged me all the way from California - "easy on the sugar, Jess. Although I must say Krispy Kreme is one tasty doughnut!") and I'm like... I'm sharing, of course!




Thank you for having us, Krispy Kreme NZ and Eleven PR. It was the best Friday I've had in a long time and I'm super grateful for the treats.




Krispy Kreme NZ opens 8 am Wednesday, February 28th. 3 Ronwood Avenue, Manukau Auckland. Every guest will be treated to a free Krispy Kreme doughnut upon arrival, there's in-store activities, giveaways, and a live DJ until late. It's gonna be a banger, friends. Let's go!




P.S. the store has a drive through

P.P.S. you (we) can start lining up from Monday (26 Feb)

P.P.P.S. if you're first in line, you get to win a one year supply of doughnuts. This is not a drill!