About Us & History

    Family pERFECTED 
    SINCE 1968

    The Little Donut Bakery is a new mini donut concessions business, building on three generations of mini donut experts. Our family introduced the mini donut to western Canada’s fairs in 1968, perfecting the favourite fair food with a commitment to great service, quality, and value, making them a must-have treat. Our new operation continues that classic legacy while inviting our customers to enjoy a fuller bakery experience, with new flavours and creating their own dream donuts.

    3 Generations of Donut makers

    Keith and Jessa Bedford started The Little Donut Bakery in 2019. Jessa’s grandparents, Eldred and Rosella Johnson, first brought mini donuts to western Canada in 1968 as a franchise of Tom Thumb Donuts, a mini donut business in Minnesota that currently operates today. They established themselves on the main fair route in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Vancouver. It took five years to break even and Eldred continued contract welding to make ends meet, with help from their sons, Jerry, Steven, and Glen, through the early 1980s.

    Steven and Annette took over the business in 1984 when Eldred and Rosella retired. They ended the Tom Thumb franchise agreement and started Those Little Donuts, growing the business from the 1980s and to 2009. Their daughter, Jessa, was born and raised in the business, and worked each summer in service, management, and administration. Keith joined the business as a teenager in 1992, and worked his way up to management. In 2009, Steven and Annette were in a severe car accident, forcing the family to retire by selling Those Little Donuts completely in 2012.

    Keith and Jessa, married since 2012, pursued other careers in Alberta but missed the business and the fair industry. With invaluable help from the Johnson family, they opted for a fresh start with The Little Donut Bakery in 2019, fusing trusted experience with a new trailer, new donut machines, and new donut ideas.