Future Doughnuts

Date Published: 14-09-2022

Our very first Support Our Independents feature is here! Essential would like to thank all the customers that reached out to us about the new campaign. We very much look forward to working with our great customers and showcasing many wonderful independent businesses.

Last month we visited Future Doughnuts and spent time with Kay and the team. Future Doughnuts has had an impressive first year of trading. Located inside beautiful railway arches and just a stone’s throw from Bristol Temple Meads Station, the 100% vegan doughnut shop boasts an extravagant menu of tasty sweet treats.

It is not only mouth-watering sweet treats, however. Future Doughnuts also serves fantastic roasted coffee served with plant-based milk alternatives as well as delicious breakfast baps (available on Saturdays) and they have more savoury bites currently in the works!

The shop itself is a vibrant and accessible space.  Over the past year, Future Doughnuts have hosted events varying from the well-received Sober Socials as well as the packed-out Hot Dog Night in collaboration with their neighbours Little Martha’s Brewing.

Lee at Essential spoke with Kay about the first year at Future Doughnuts and what lies ahead for Bristol’s 100% vegan doughnut shop:

It’s very clear to see that you have an incredibly loyal customer base. What can you tell us about your customers?
We really lucked out with our customers - they’re so friendly and enthusiastic about our doughnuts! Many pop in to see us regularly and even when there’s a queue they’ll have a massive grin on their faces when they reach the counter!

I have seen that in the past you have run sober socials. It is really great to see events listed that don’t revolve around alcohol. How popular were these events and are there any upcoming plans for more? 
Ah yeah, we loved doing the Sober Socials! We always wanted Future Doughnuts to be a booze-free space and it was interesting seeing how that could work on an evening. Our first one was during Dry January and was brilliant - we spent a lot of time curating a really great cocktail menu and had great feedback from people who came along. We’re definitely planning on doing more.

Can you tell me about what plans and ideas you have for more events? In the past, you have worked with other independent businesses such as Little Martha Brewing… do you have any similar plans?
Yeah, we did a hot dog night with our neighbours Little Martha’s Brewing, which we’re hoping to do again soon! We’re always full of ideas and we’re lucky to have a big cafe space which lends itself to different events.

I am always amazed by the constantly updated menu of new doughnut flavours. Do you know roughly how many different flavours you have sold since you opened and where do you get your inspiration for these?
I’ve just counted and over 60 doughnut flavours have been in our menu since we opened last September! We like bringing in something new every week - it keep things fun for our team and hopefully our customers. Our ideas come from all over the place and we have a big list in the kitchen that staff are adding to all the time so we’re not going to run out of new flavours anytime soon!

Are there any flavours that are clearly customers’ favourites? If so, what are these and do customers ask if they'll be returning to the menu soon?
Oh yeah, absolutely! Our Peanut Butter & Jelly doughnut is one we get asked for a lot - a sourdough doughnut filled with our strawberry jam, topped with peanut butter glaze and chopped peanuts - it’s really good! Another one that always goes down well is “Biscoffish” which is our take on a Lotus Biscuit doughnut but we make it without gluten or refined sugar, we really love it.

The peanut butter jelly doughnut is so good - I really love that one too!
Oh yeah, it’s so good! We try to be really mindful of the allergens we have in the kitchen at any one time which is why we don’t have it all the time (and also so people don’t get bored of it!).

You opened your doors during a very tumultuous and uncertain time. What was it like to start your journey during a global pandemic?
Well it didn’t go entirely to plan, that’s for sure! We looked at the unit during the lockdown in January 2021 and thought we’d be able to set up and open within a couple of months and be fairly low-key. We got the keys mid-June when the lockdown was lifted and opened in September. It was a chaotic first couple of months where we couldn’t keep up demand with a tiny team. It’s evened out now but with the cost of living crisis it’s getting more challenging now.

You are a fully vegan business; what kind of reactions do you get from people that are not vegans or on plant-based diets?
Mostly either people don’t notice or don’t care - you wouldn’t know our doughnuts are vegan. They’re just really good doughnuts! The only time it comes up is when we ask people if they’d like oat or almond milk in the coffee and if they haven’t visited us before they can be surprised but most times they’re up for trying either or asking what we recommend.

You have had a very successful first year here in St. Phillips. What does the future have in store for Future Doughnuts?
Our first anniversary of opening the doughnut shop is coming up in September so we’ve got some “best of” doughnuts making a reappearance, followed by special Halloween and Festive doughnut boxes. We’ve got absolutely loads of doughnut flavours up our sleeves as well as more events and possibly a savoury menu!

If you are interested in participating in an upcoming Support Our Independents feature, we would love to hear from you! We want to represent as many businesses as possible and highlight how diverse independent businesses are. Simply email marketing@essential-trading.coop with Support Our Independents in the subject line and we will get back to you as soon as we can. 

Our next feature will be on Artichoke Wholefoods, a wholefood shop providing Fishponds in Bristol with healthy and tasty produce.