Frying up a Frenzy
Andy’s Donuts Takes the Cakes
Written by Cyd Hoefle
Photos by Stu Hoefle
The smell of fried donuts permeated the air around the tiny food truck as Andy Beavers stayed busy inside, whipping up a fresh batch of the fried sweetened dough.
Parked in front of his family’s house, located five miles outside of Powell, Wyoming, Andy and his mom, Erin, worked well together as Erin rolled the dough and cut out the shapes and Andy placed them one by one in the hot oil. As they finished cooking, the conveyor belt brought them out of the oil and plopped them onto a tray.
The two were working on a special order of 30 dozen donuts that needed to be delivered that afternoon. Andy visited while he worked, and explained how he, a graduating senior from Powell High School, got into the donut business.
“It was crazy. As soon as people would start smelling them, they’d start lining up.”
“It really started back in middle school,” he said. “We were assigned to do a business plan using power point and I did it on donuts.”
The seed that had been planted in Andy might have come long before that though, as he tells of being a young child at their family’s cabin. His grandmother would get up in the morning and fry donuts for the family for breakfast.
“Those donuts became a family tradition,” Andy said. “Before long, I started frying them at home.”
In high school, Andy joined the local FFA chapter, and it was during his sophomore year that he launched his business, and named it Andy’s Donuts.
“I was making them in the kitchen, using a cast iron skillet,” he said. “I’d make them two dozen at a time and my friends loved them.”
Before long, he began experimenting with larger batches and different recipes. His reputation as a donut business spread throughout school and around the community and Andy was able to use his business in the entrepreneurial and small business category of the Supervised Agricultural Experience as a project in FFA.
At about the same time, he found a handicap-access bus for sale for $1,000, and it seemed the perfect opportunity to make it into a food truck.
“It took some time,” Andy said, “not only to design what we needed, but to find the equipment that would fit.”
During his first year at the local county fair, Andy was so busy that he would sell out of donuts as soon as they came out of the fryer. In addition to his mom, he enlisted the help of his grandmother, sister and a cousin, all working in the same space to fill the orders.
“It was crazy,” he said. “As soon as people would start smelling them, they’d start lining up.”
Though he does use the food truck at functions, he predominately does special orders, making and frying them in his truck and then delivering them to his customers.
“Our go-to flavors are chocolate, vanilla and maple,” he said. “From there we add sprinkles and candies.”
He also offers specialty flavors such as his orange glazed doughnut that is topped with tiny shreds of orange citrus.
“People love that one,” he said with a smile.
After all the 30 dozen donuts had been frosted, he and his mom boxed them up to be delivered into Powell for Nurses Appreciation Day.
“We also do weddings,” he added. “We built a donut wall with pegs and shelves that can be set up at receptions for the guests. It’s been quite a hit.”
Still, though the business has been booming, and the summer calendar is filling up, Andy has plans to attend Northwest College in the fall, where he will work towards a welding certificate.
“I’m still going to keep the donut business going as long as I can through college,” Andy said. “But I’m also looking forward to becoming a welder and maybe opening an HVAC business here in town.”
Those donuts became a family tradition. Before long, I started frying them at home.
- Andy Beavers