This doughnut franchise wants to open stores across South Mississippi

Shipley Do-Nuts wants to “Make Life Delicious” by attracting several new franchises to Biloxi and South Mississippi.

The company offers 60 varieties of yeast and cake doughnuts, pastries and kolaches, and is known for cutting its doughnuts by hand and serving them hot throughout the day.

Plain glazed doughnuts are by far the best seller, said Wesley McGaugh, area developer for Shipley Do-Nuts. They also come filled, sprinkled, iced and topped with nuts, coconut or cinnamon. The stores sell Southern beignets and a new line of kolaches, which are soft dough baked with sausage and cheese.

McGaugh said he recently visited South Mississippi for the first time since Hurricane Katrina and was amazed at the comeback and the potential. In addition to Biloxi, McGaugh said the company is looking at potential locations in Gulfport, Pascagoula/Moss Point and Ocean Springs.

“What we’re looking for are young entrepreneurs to franchise these stores,” he said. The investment for opening a location is $350,000 to $500,000, the company said.

All the Shipley Do-Nuts stores are individually owned and operated, usually by a family, said McGaugh, who owns two Shipley Do-Nut stores in Greenville.

“We love mom-and-pop type operations,” he said. The company supplies franchisees with its doughnut mix made with a secret recipe, the fillings, training and marketing assistance.

“The Shipley Do-Nuts name has become synonymous with mornings for many throughout the state, from Horn Lake in the north down to Jackson and further south to Hattiesburg,” McGaugh said. “As our popularity has grown, so has interest in expanding even more profoundly and we’re acting on that now.”

Shipley Do-Nuts was founded 81 years ago in Texan and the first store opened in Mississippi in 1953. Hattiesburg is one of nine stores in Mississippi and the closest location to the Coast.

The company has 300 franchise locations in six Southern states and plans to expand to 400 stores by 2020.

Details: 662-820-2653

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 1:58 PM with the headline "This doughnut franchise wants to open stores across South Mississippi."