CHARLOTTE, NC. — Krispy Kreme, Inc. has had a year filled with innovative limited-edition collections and ambitious corporate goals.

Over the past year, the donut company has partnered with a range of companies, including Mondelez International, Inc., General Mills, Inc., Mars, Inc. and others to release limited-edition collections inspired by the companies’ most popular products. The collaborations have launched collections like “Cookie Blast,” which features flavors Mondelez International’s Chips Ahoy! and Oreo brands.

“Imagine your favorite donut with two Chips Ahoy! cookies inside it,” said Dave Skena, global chief brand officer for Krispy Kreme, in April 2023. “We made that a reality. Our new Cookie Blast collection in partnership with Chips Ahoy! and Oreo will blow away cookie and donut lovers.” 

The donut maker also has set ambitious targets for 2023, including growing its points of access globally to 75,000.

“We expect to open five to seven new countries in 2023, including in France, bringing our total to more than 35 countries by the end of this year,” said Michael J. Tattersfield, chief executive officer, in a February 2023 earnings call to discuss fiscal-year results. 

Krispy Kreme also had plans to increase access to its donuts through a partnership with McDonald’s. Beginning in October 2022, the donut company launched its products into nine McDonald's locations in Louisville, Ky.

“This is our first partnership with McDonald’s in the US as we constantly look for new ways to increase access to fresh donuts through our delivered fresh daily network — a key element of our omnichannel strategy to attain 50,000 points of access globally,” Krispy Kreme said when the partnership was announced last year.

As of March 2023, Krispy Kreme expanded its test to nearly 160 locations around Louisville, Lexington, and other surrounding areas.

“Our goal is to get to about 75,000 points of access over a long term,” Mr. Tattersfield said during an appearance in CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” on April 14. “And when we think about the channels that we first went after, whether it’s the grocery channel or the convenience channel, we need to really be an expert at that first so we can deliver fresh on time to their demand and the size and the pack. McDonald’s and the restaurant is an opportunity we saw, but it still has to work with exactly the same model of how we do our delivered fresh daily program.” 

Click to view products Krispy Kreme has introduced over the past year.