Today we’d like to introduce you to Varanya Van Riet
Hi Varanya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up working with my family in the restaurant business and learned at a young age how a business operates. At the age of 18 I left my home in San Antonio and moved to Chicago where I continued my education and worked part time at a local coffee shop in order to pay my bills. My life in Chicago introduced me to an assortment of amazing and diverse foods. My position in the coffee shop included barista as well as lead baker. We offered pastries, sandwiches but it was the donuts that would attract our customers the most. I began callaborating with my manager about new flavors and developed a passion for baking and the art of marketing. It wasn’t long before I worked my way up and eventually left the coffee shop scene to pursue my own path. I was 24, and I just gave birth to my son Theodore. It was at this time that my fiancé Allen and I began brainstorming about our future and the future of our son during a time when the world was shifting economically.
Together with my love and creativity for baking and Allen’s passion for health & wellness we began experimenting with different donut options that would appeal to the “health conscious” community. Over time we perfected our craft and our famous gluten free mini donuts were born! we didn’t stop there though.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I specifically remember overcoming many challenges in 2017 working at a local coffee shop off Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. It was where I learned to make mini donuts. I had to be up and ready to make fresh donuts bright and early at 4:30 in the morning. It was hard work but the fresh smell of donuts and coffee always kept me motivated. The donuts were always a hit! I had two jobs at the time so when I was finished with the morning donuts I would head to my second job as a server. Not too much later I would find out I was pregnant with our first son Theodore. My husband and I were excited but knew we had to figure out a business plan.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Theo’s mini donuts?
We’re a local family owned business serving the finest gluten free mini donuts in the Georgetown, Tx. Our business is Theo’s mini donuts. We create our donuts out of a shared commercial kitchen space in Georgetown, Texas. We pride ourselves in using clean, simple and quality ingredients to satisfy the needs of every health-conscious lifestyle including those with food sensitivities/Celiac. We bake our gluten-free dough using avocado oil. We Ultimately wanted to create a tasteful mini donuts we would share with our children. We are finding out everyday that most baked goods we grew up use unnecessary ingredients that impact our health as age. We wanted to raise the standard which is where we get our slogan. “Eat well, tastefully.”
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Having a family business is a 24/7 job. We joke that it’s our third child. That said, we have had to experiment with different machinery and techniques. It took a long time before we ended up where we are today. You cannot be afraid to try something new and with that comes a lot of expenditures that you might not get back. That’s the true life of running a small family business. We are always adding new flavors, constantly perfecting our craft as a baker.
We wouldn’t be where are today without the birth of our golden child Theodore. We built this business around him. He is our first son and an amazing blessing for us!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.theosminidonuts.com
- Instagram: @theosminidonuts
- Facebook: THEO’s mini donuts
Image Credits
Theo’s mini donuts
