If you live in Newcastle and haven’t been hiding under a rock for the past two years, chances are you’ve heard of Doughheads… Or at least heard someone raving about a quirky creation they got from “that doughnut place in the mall”.
With everything from humble Cinnamon Sugar, to the more adventurous Citrus Cheesecake, to the downright weird and wonderful Maple Bacon or Couch Potato (who knew potato chips on a doughnut could be such a killer combo?), Doughheads are seriously in a league of their own when it comes to delicious doughnut delicacies in the Hunter.
Slowly becoming a household name in the region, Doughheads have had a whirlwind first year and the company founder, Anna Farthing, was lovely enough to share her story with Newcastle Live…
“We wanted to bring something new and vibrant to Newcastle, something that would bring excitement and anticipation, something that would be different… We wanted to create a brand that people would rave about.”
To say people rave about Doughheads could almost be an understatement. People wait 40 minutes in the rain for a Doughheads doughnut. People drive all the way from Sydney for a Doughheads doughnut. One person even flew some Doughheads doughnuts home to Perth for their family to try!
But, creating such irresistible doughnuts wasn’t always in Anna’s plan, “I didn’t know how popular they would be,” she says, “I didn’t follow ‘foodie’ trends claiming doughnuts as the next big thing, I didn’t have any deep childhood connection to or love for doughnuts, just a love of being in kitchen.”
With this love as the catalyst, Anna started out making all kinds of baked-goods for the monthly weekend market run, and soon found her doughnuts were selling a lot more than anything else.
Seeking to do something fun and out-of-the-ordinary, doughnuts became the perfect focus, and in June 2014, the Doughheads brand was born.
Anna can only describe Doughheads’ first market experience as “crazy”, she recalls being up from 1am the morning of the Olive Tree Markets prepping 400 doughnuts, then hand-dipping each doughnut in their toppings as they were made-to-order on the day.
“I just remember being so nervous the morning of… and then the hoards of people came! We sold out in just a few hours and our social media was going absolutely nuts!” Anna recalls.
Doughheads’ social media, alongside word of mouth, have been the keystones of the company’s growth and popularity.
“When creating the brand, we wanted to use social media to grow organically… We aimed to really engage and interact with people, both online and at our market stalls, so they would become our advocates,” says Anna.
With this initial success fuelling the fire, Doughheads continued to make its delicious mark on the market run at both Olive Tree and Hunt & Gather markets. But, Newcastle demanded more doughnuts, and in August 2014, Doughheads set up their Friday stall in Hunter St mall. Doughheads became a destination, and the crowds immediately followed.
After the booming success of the mall stall and demand rapidly increasingly, Anna – who had been handling their commercial kitchen herself – decided it was time to bring a chef on board and look for a retail shop.
“[Hiring a chef] was such a daunting task, with no background in being a chef myself, I kept thinking ‘how do I explain what I do to them?’” Anna laughs, “But, I knew I wanted a chef for their skill with flavours and knowing what works.”
The months leading up to the opening of Doughheads’ shop in the mall weren’t without troubles and doubts, but Anna ploughed on, staying true to her love for the job and having fun,
“If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, then you’re doing it wrong,” she says brightly.
With this optimistic ethos as the driving force behind the company, Doughheads continues to grow from strength to strength, and Anna continues to be amazed by the overwhelming response from the Newcastle community.
Anna is one of those people you meet and are instantly drawn to her positive energy and beaming smile. As she talks about Doughheads, her passion for what she does is truly infectious.
“Life is creative, if you don’t give it a go, you’ll never know… And who would’ve thought doughtnuts would go nuts!” Anna laughs,
“I have no piece of paper or qualification behind me to do this, but I just want to share my passion for not sitting still, for not giving in, and to be willing to give it a go…. And hopefully inspire others to do the same.”
Check out all of Doughheads’ delicious happenings on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/doughheadsnewy
IMAGE CREDIT: All (mouth-watering) images owned and supplied by Doughheads
