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Our Story
Western Canada's Original Mini Donut Family
A Family Tradition
Mini donuts are a family tradition for us! Over three generations, our family has a consistent history of perfect mini donuts at a real value. We are western Canada’s original mini donut family – our passion for high quality and great service began in 1968 and continues today with our iconic little donut machines and versatile mini donut food truck fleet.
Passing Down the Mini Donut Tradition
Three Generations
Our grandparents, Eldred and Rosella Johnson, introduced mini donuts to western Canada’s summer fairs in 1968 with a Tom Thumb franchise, a Minnesota-based mini donut business that acquired unique World War II-era donut machines used by Disney to launch their “Tom Thumb” movie in 1958. Eldred was a journeyman welder hired to work for the Minnesota company and established a new route in 1968 at the Calgary Stampede, Edmonton Klondike Days, Regina Buffalo Days, and Winnipeg’s Red River Ex, and soon added Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in 1971. Their sons Jerry, Steve, and Glen helped launch the business, and after five hard years, they broke even.
When Eldred and Rosella retired in 1984, Steve and his wife Annette took over the route and ended the Tom Thumb franchise. They started a new company called Those Little Donuts and maintained the western fair route, raising their daughter Jessa in the business. A car accident resulted in their retirement in 2012, and Jessa and her husband Keith, who joined the company as a teenager in 1992, couldn’t succeed them at the time, so the business was sold to its current owner.
Passing Down the Mini Donut Tradition
Three Generations
Our grandparents, Eldred and Rosella Johnson, introduced mini donuts to western Canada’s summer fairs in 1968 with a Tom Thumb franchise, a Minnesota-based mini donut business that acquired unique World War II-era donut machines used by Disney to launch their “Tom Thumb” movie in 1958. Eldred was a journeyman welder hired to work for the Minnesota company and established a new route in 1968 at the Calgary Stampede, Edmonton Klondike Days, Regina Buffalo Days, and Winnipeg’s Red River Ex, and soon added Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in 1971. Their sons Jerry, Steve, and Glen helped launch the business, and after five hard years, they broke even.
When Eldred and Rosella retired in 1984, Steve and his wife Annette took over the route and ended the Tom Thumb franchise. They started a new company called Those Little Donuts and maintained the western fair route, raising their daughter Jessa in the business. A car accident resulted in their retirement in 2012, and Jessa and her husband Keith, who joined the company as a teenager in 1992, couldn’t succeed them at the time, so the business was sold to its current owner.
Crafting Mini Donuts with Love and Innovation
Our New Passion
We never lost our passion for making great donuts and decided to start a new company with some fresh ideas. In 2019 we began building The Little Donut Bakery with invaluable help from our extended family. Despite the pandemic, we debuted our new unit, new machines and new menu at the 2021 Calgary Stampede, shortly before Steve’s passing. We are now expanding our schedule and currently serve the Stampede, Edmonton’s K-Days, Vancouver’s PNE, Regina’s Queen City Ex and the Saskatoon Ex. Offering both classic and unique flavours, we rank consistently high on our partners’ customer surveys and have been recognized as “the evolution and future of mini donuts” by our industry partners.
Family Album
Family Album
