A rare dessert treat at a rare time in history has one donut company making a stop in Barrie to give back to some front-line workers who deserve a premium pastry.
Like most businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, The Box Donut has been heavily affected by the closure of non-essential businesses and having to reduce production.
Once a company with 30 to 40 people helping to produce the square specialty donuts, owner Andrea Hanak said they are down to around a dozen.
“We were getting ready to open a main store in the Yorkdale Mall; it was going to be beautiful. Then we had to shut it all down. Everyone involved understood, but was still very upset,” Hanak told BarrieToday.
Instead of being depressed and folding up, Hanak and her team realized they could try to use their product for a greater good.
The Box Donuts maintained production for some customer orders, but started receiving large orders to front-line workers. Approximately 1,150 treats have been delivered to hospitals and other vulnerable people.
On Tuesday, May 5, a large order will be brought to Barrie's Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) for the staff on shift.
“I lived in Barrie for six years and I know how respected the RVH is and how hard the people there work,” Hanak said. “This is going to be an honour for all of us, but I am personally excited for this delivery.”
The RVH delivery will take place Tuesday afternoon and will be enough to feed the staff of an entire shift for the whole facility, she said.
Hanak came to Barrie from Hungary from 1999 to 2005 and, during that time, attended Georgian College for business administration.
“Barrie is beautiful and still feels like a small town to me, even though I know it is growing so much,” she said.
While Barrie was a little farther than Hanak wanted to travel for deliveries, the company did have many requests from residents in the city. The Box Donut will make a stop in town on Saturday to deliver one batch of deliveries, with Tuesday being the day for the RVH.
“We are getting requests from all over, and the really good thing is we do not charge delivery, not during this time of COVID-19,” Hanak said.
The Box Donut has no plans to branch out into Barrie, but Hanak says she has been working hard to get the name out of the company to catch up with the times.
“I created the website pretty much overnight to help with online orders and to show what our products are,” said Hanak. “Our salted caramel and creme brulee are very popular, but so are our cheesecake flavours, so our staff is keeping busy making up lots of delicious gourmet treats.
“I look at our product like the Starbucks of donuts in that they are a premium item,” she added. “Not only different in shape, but fresh and handmade.”
For more information on the company, click here.
