The Voodoo Doughnut Story

Old friends and entertainment-oriented Portlanders Kenneth “Cat Daddy” Pogson and Tres Shannon collaborated on the creation of Voodoo Doughnut. They shared a desire to fuse exceptional hospitality with their bold, do-it-yourself approach to show business and decided to pursue a joint entrepreneurial venture in 2000.

Upon conducting research, they discovered that downtown Portland lacked a doughnut shop. As a result, they rented a small storefront situated between two nightclubs in Old Town in 2003. They joked about their ambition to achieve “world doughnut domination” with friends and family and opened Voodoo Doughnut. Initially, their pastry offerings were a combination of traditional and unconventional flavors.

Within a month of its inauguration, Voodoo Doughnut garnered its first mention in national media coverage. Since then, Voodoo Doughnut has been featured in a variety of outlets, including The Travel Channel, The Cooking Channel, MTV, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Wheel of Fortune, Portlandia, Grimm, Leverage, The Amazing Race, and Access Hollywood. In addition, it has been spotlighted in print publications like People, Playboy, Conde Nast, Spin, GQ, Jane, Maxim, Food & Wine, among others.

Following the opening of its second location in 2008, Voodoo Doughnut now operates 25 locations across nine states as of 2025, with additional locations coming soon.

Voodoo Doughnut’s clients and fans attribute the company’s success to its development of imaginative and distinctive doughnut flavors and products, and they frequently request that a Voodoo Doughnut store opens in their neighborhood. In response to customer demand, the company aims to expand its product line and geographical footprint by opening new locations throughout the U.S.