The Donut - Facts

Hostess® is celebrating all things “donut” with a look at the history and fun facts surrounding one of the most recognizable treats in the world and one of the iconic brand’s most popular snacks.

* Americans eat billions of donuts each year. Hostess produces over 2 billion donuts a year including all of the brand’s varieties.
* The origins of the beloved round cake with a hole in the middle are heavily debated, with some sources giving sweet credit to Dutch settlers who are thought to have brought donut-making techniques from Holland.
* Hostess uses over 10 million pounds of powdered sugar a year and 10 million pounds of chocolate a year while making Hostess Donuts.®
* Enough Hostess Donettes – mini donuts – are made each year to wrap around the earth three times.
* Louisville is the donut capital of the U.S. Louisvillians eat more donuts per capita than people in any other U.S. city.* Louisville’s favorite donut flavor is chocolate.

Rounding out the top five donut-loving cities are:
o Cincinnati, OH
o Roanoke, VA
o Knoxville, TN
o Indianapolis, IN
* The creation of the donut’s “hole” is thought to have been the solution to the dilemma that appeared to plague early donut makers – having an undercooked center when the cakes were removed from the fryer.
* Hostess Donuts were first launched in the 1930s at a time in our nation’s history when American’s were looking for inexpensive ways to treat themselves.
* America’s favorite donut flavor is glazed, followed by chocolate, powdered sugar and plain.*

* Based on donuts bought in grocery stores.