What started as a treat on a ‘cheat day’ has turned into a full-fledged business which is giving Victoria a new spot to get delicious doughnuts.
Andrew Furness is a perfectionist who used to be a welder by day until he started trying to make the perfect doughnut and succeeded.
Now, he is making his dream a reality by opening Doughnut Vault in Victoria with the help of his partner and his newfound talent for making his favourite snack.
“I just decided I was going to give it a try,” Furness told Victoria Buzz. “I would make a batch of doughnuts and I’d have like 18 or 24 doughnuts and I’d only eat like three or four and I would bring the rest into work.”
“It got to the point, especially at work, where I’d have a 50 or 60 person waitlist for guys wanting me to make doughnuts and bring them in for them.”
Furness said it exploded from a fun pastime to his coworkers trying to bribe him to bump them up in the queue.
“There was like, 600 dudes on site and we had a giant board of guys trying to pass me an extra $20 to bring them doughnuts ahead of someone else,” Furness explained.
The people who were “fiending” for his doughnuts were Furness’ inspiration for making his fun pastime his new career.
“I wanted to get out of the trades,” Furness said. “It’s just so physically taxing and emotionally taxing and it takes a toll on you.”
“It all came to fruition with all the people who wanted doughnuts and my partner being so supportive.”
Furness’ partner, Cory Nowicki, is a hairstylist at Hunt & Gather and she laid down the groundwork for Doughnut Vault by asking her clientele what they thought of the doughnut market in Victoria.
There’s Yonnis, Empire Donuts and Frickin’ Delights, but Furness wanted his doughnuts to be different.
Furness lives in Vancouver currently, but is making the move to Victoria to be closer to his partner and make the island his launchpad for Doughnut Vault because the pastry scene is not as saturated in Victoria.
To set himself apart, Furness decided he would do rotating flavours every month, making artisan doughnuts for adults who want to treat themselves to a snack that is not just some kid’s treat.
His August flavours are maple bacon waffle, classic apple fritter, lemon sea salt, brown butter caramel, mango coconut and double chocolate brownie.
Next month, he plans on bringing in six new flavours, trying not to repeat himself in the process.
Doughnut Vault is open for business and Victorians who like a good treat can order the artisan doughnuts that Furness makes right from their phone or computer.
Victorians can order by the dozen or half dozen via direct message to Doughnut Vault’s Instagram while they sort out getting an ordering page from their website.
Furness’ perfect doughnuts can then be picked up at either Roast Meat and Sandwich Shop, located in Victoria’s Public Market on Douglas Street, or from Victoria Olive Oil Co. located at 619 Broughton Street.
Furness says he is happy to be making his treats in small batches to order so he can ensure his doughnuts are always the freshest in town and he wants to one day have a brick and mortar café in town.
For now he is grateful to the businesses helping him in this new endeavour and looks forward to working with more small businesses in Victoria.
