"Humble, handmade and full of heart would best describe the style of our donuts. Everything we make in our kitchen is inspired by those within our entire team and the classic flavours of home," said Jay, owner of Mamasdonuts North Shore, alongside Marg and Rouruina.
Prior to joining Mamasdonuts, Jay worked as a mental health and addiction counsellor for eight years. After his wife Marg made donuts in the kitchen of their parent company for nearly five years, in 2019, she, alongside Jay and Rouruina, took a leap of faith and purchased their very own Mamasdonuts kitchen in Auckland's North Shore.
Aside from priding themselves on making donuts the good old-fashioned way, at the heart of Mamasdonuts is serving the community. Their caravans can not only be seen at events and markets all over Auckland, but their donuts are also provided to schools and community groups to help with fundraising - Mamasdonuts' involvement within the community is commendable.
In 2022, they launched "Dough Nights", community-focused evening events that allow women to gather and learn from the stories of others.
"We hope that these events will become sacred spaces, much like our kitchen dough tables that foster unity, connection and inspiration for the wider community."
Dough Nights also allows Mamasdonuts to gather ideas and create unique donut flavours with others that embody their personality and story.
However, running a donut kitchen is not without its challenges. For Jay, Marg and Rouruina, the rise in costs of living for New Zealand families is a major challenge.
"Our kitchen is run by our families and we aim to serve families in our community with our donuts. With living costs and the price of ingredients accelerating, we are mindful that families with find special treats like ours hard to afford."
In the future, Mamasdonuts North Shore hopes to continue to connect with more people in their local community, as well as expand their team and production capacity.
