Vernon Rudolph

Vernon Carver Rudolph (June 30, 1915 – August 16, 1973) was an American businessman who founded Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. Biography Early life Vernon Carver Rudolph was born in Marshall County, Kentucky. He was the oldest of four children born to Plumie and Rethie Rudolph. His siblings included Lewis Rudolph, who would later help found Krispy Kreme. As he grew older, Vernon Rudolph began to help in the general store that his uncle owned. Career When he graduated high school, he went to Paducah, Kentucky, with his uncle. In 1933, Rudolph's uncle bought a doughnut shop and recipe for yeast-raised donuts from a French federal employee and chef named Joe LeBeau. This all occurred during the middle of the Great Depression, so they moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to see if they could get better business there and secure their financial future. Things did not work out for them in Nashville, so they moved back to Kentucky where Rudolph's uncle sold his business to his brother, Rudolph's father. His son, Lewis, started working for the shop. In 1936. his father opened another shop in Charleston, West Virginia, and a few years later, a third shop in Atlanta, Georgia.