Alistair (Ally) Pirie will be a familiar face to many across the north of Scotland, particularly those among the community of sweet treat fans.
Why?
Because for the past 14 years, the 58-year-old has been the proud owner of A & Z Delicious Donuts, a donut caterer that attends a line-up of events throughout the region.
Assisted by niece Kinley Logan – who is 14, but has been part of the team since she was 11 – and Ally’s son Kayden learning the ropes, the business offers mouth-watering fried donuts that can be served on their own or with a variety of toppings.
A bit about A & Z Delicious Donuts – plus the donut toppings available
Ally, who lives in Keith, has been in the food industry for more than 20 years.
He said: “I started working with G&M Whyte Event Catering, which gave me the inspiration to start my own business venture.
“I bought a small trailer to do donuts. I had no clue about it [making donuts], [but] just learned as I went a long and spent a few hours at night practicing.”
The entrepreneur’s first outing with the A & Z Delicious Donuts trailer was during at a May Day event in Turriff.
He attended every year for a decade afterwards, going on to say: “I must have done something right because they couldn’t wait for me to return the following years.”
It wasn’t long before word spread of Ally’s menu.
Specialising in donuts that are made fresh to order, customers can choose from a selection of toppings such as strawberries and whipped cream plus a variety of sauces.
Flavours include white and plain chocolate, toffee, raspberry, Biscoff, mint and Nutella.
A & Z Delicious Donuts also offers donut birthday cakes, which feature a stack of donuts on their own or doused in your choice of toppings.
Where can I find the trailer? Well, there’s a catch…
There isn’t just one catering trailer, but two.
Ally expanded his fleet by purchasing a second in March, before spending roughly three months transforming it.
It traded for the first time last week, and serves more than just donuts.
“With the catering [industry] changing over the years, I looked at doing street donuts, waffles and crepes,” he added.
“Hopefully, we can now get into new events with the new trailer.”
A & Z Delicious Donuts regularly attends events across Moray, Aberdeenshire, Deeside and Inverness-shire.
Examples include:
- Gordon Castle Highland Games and Country Fair
- Dufftown Highland Games
- Forres Highland Games
- Ballater Highland Games
- Turriff Show
- Keith Show
Ally also covers Bonfire Night and Christmas events.
However, to keep up-to-date on the business’ whereabouts in full, visit the A & Z Delicious Donuts Facebook page.
Ally plans to expand A & Z Delicious Donuts fleet further in coming years
Not only does Ally plan on increasing the number of events his business attends in the coming year, but he’s also eager to go back to offering a home delivery service on top of that.
This was available during Covid and proved popular.
“I enjoy seeing the same customers coming back and saying they have enjoyed their sweet sugary treat,” adds the business owner.
In terms of the future, he went on to say: “I would like to get into more events and when Kinley is old enough, I would like to get a van for her.
“In my 14 years of doing donuts, I have seen a lot of change. To keep myself the leading donut caterer in this area, I need to keep my eye on the ball and get into more events.
“Having two vans now, I can branch out doing more so if you’re looking for the best donuts around, contact me on Facebook.
“We also have a few weddings booked and plan on going to big companies with our vans.”
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