What is North Carolina's most iconic brand?

Pepsi.

Texas Pete.

Krispy Kreme.

Those are some of the most well-known brands in America, and they were born in North Carolina. But they are not alone. The Old North State has also given birth to some other high-profile brands like Cheerwine, Mount Olive pickles, Bojangles, Hardee's and Goodys powders. 

We can also add to the list Cook-Out and Biscuitville, though they are both more regionally-bound brands and Biscuitville, admittedly, started in Danville, VA. Also, don't sleep on Lance crackers:

In 1913 Phillip Lott a food broker from Charlotte got stuck with 500 pounds of peanuts. He sold them and was then inspired to create the now popular snack company.

(Also: What is the deal with all this food?!) 

But what is the most iconic "brand" of all to come from North Carolina?

One could argue sports/college brands like the ACC, UNC, Duke, NC State would make the list. Or perhaps NASCAR (which got its start in the hills of the state). 

Or, perhaps, the most famous brand is just "barbecue." I think we may all agree on that ... though WHICH kind may still lead to some PASSIONATE discussions.

Image courtesy of NCTripping.com

It doesn't get much more North Carolina than this

... unless, of course, there was a way to also infuse it with barbecue.

"A limited edition doughnut brings two North Carolina tastes together: Cheerwine and Krispy Kreme," writes Mouthful. "The Cheerwine-cream filled doughnut will only be available in July.

"The first batch will be delivered tomorrow to Gov. Bev Perdue."

KK poised for a profit

After weathering first the Atkins Diet Craze and then a vast economic recession, Winston-Salem-based Krispy Kreme is on the brink of a profit, according to its chairman.

The company just barely missed posting its first profitable year since 2004 despite having a fourth-quarter profit of $520,000, says MCT.

Jim Morgan, the company's chairman, president and chief executive, cautioned at the 2008 shareholders meeting that there likely will be some "unevenness" in quarterly performance for up to two years.

''During fiscal 2010, we made substantial progress in building a stronger foundation for our company and improving our business model," Morgan said in a statement. "We generated positive company same-store sales in all four quarters despite the difficult economy, while also delivering substantially higher operating income."

He said that the company expects to show a profit in fiscal 2011.

''We are working vigorously to continue implementation of our strategic plans and, in doing so, we believe we are setting the stage for additional and more robust growth in revenues and earnings in fiscal 2012 and beyond," Morgan said.

The company reported Thursday that its loss for fiscal 2010, which ended Jan. 31, was $157,000, compared with a loss of about $4 million in fiscal 2009. ...

Krispy's share price slipped 8 cents to close at $4.96 yesterday -- 19 cents below its 52-week high of $5.15 set on Tuesday. Because of the company's financial difficulties in recent years, coverage of its stock has been dropped by most analysts.

"KK" plans to add seven to 10 company stores, along with 35 to 45 domestic and international franchise shops.

Krispy Kreme about to go crazy in Asia

Winston-Salem-based doughnut (some call them little bits of Heaven) maker Krispy Kreme said that one of its franchisees has opened the doughnut maker's first store in Shanghai, China.

"KKD Lotte Holdings Company Ltd. operates the new shop at the In-Point Shopping Mall on the Wu-Jiang pedestrian walkway. KKD Lotte also is Krispy Kreme's franchisee in the Republic of Korea and Japan, according to a news release [via the News & Record].

"This is the first of 35 Krispy Kreme shops the franchisee plans to open during the next five years [emphasis mine]."

Krispy Kreme may yet survive the kollapsing ekonomy

Krispy Kreme is a North Carolina institution: over the years, thousands of N.C. children have raised funds for their schools and youth groups by peddling boxes of hot glazed doughnuts, and the company is as interwoven to state culture as NASCAR, college basketball and barbecue. North Carolinians are about as provincial and stubborn in the great doughnut battle (Krispy Kreme vs. that sorry upstart Dunkin' Dougnuts) as they are about Eastern-style Barbecue vs. Lexington.

But that doesn't mean the Winston-Salem doughnut maker will survive the global economic recession.

Oddly enough, it may just be the global marketplace that saves the company, says the Winston-Salem Journal.

Krispy Kreme's "growing international sales could be the key ingredient in keeping Krispy Kreme independent and out of bankruptcy -- a fate that some analysts have predicted for this year."

All of which means that the jobs of 3,829 employees, including 414 in Winston-Salem and another 76 in the Triad, are riding on Krispy Kreme's ability to make its doughnuts a lifestyle choice rather than an occasional treat in markets as diverse as China, Kuwait and Turkey.

More than 80 percent of Krispy Kreme's stores are operated by franchisees, and 57 percent of its 526 stores are based outside the United States, as of Jan. 31.

Kristin Graham, a senior analyst for The Motley Fool, a financial-services company, said she questions whether Krispy Kreme will be able to survive because of the level of debt it took on during its ill-fated domestic expansion strategy under a previous top executive, Scott Livengood.

"But if there is a life preserver for Krispy Kreme, it would be its international sales," Graham said. "If they can expand and establish the brand correctly overseas, it could be enough to carry them through 2009."

The company plans to open at least 75 stores in just China, Malaysia and Turkey by 2013. ...

Here's to hoping "KK" (as it's called in our household) survives and flourishes. There's just not really anything quite like a hot glazed doughnut, straight off the glazing journey.

More on Decision '08: Krispy Kreme vs. Dunkin' Donuts

To me the decision is an easy one. When it comes down to doughnuts, the one -- and ONLY -- choice is Krispy Kreme.

But Dunkin' Donuts recently announced its decision to follow Barack Obama's route by actually challenging long-held supremacy in North Carolina. Dunkin' is battling Krispy Kreme -- a North Carolina staple -- on its own turf.

(Be sure to vote in our poll, to the right.)

Now, I will concede that DD has better coffee than KK. But that's like saying Papa Johns has better bread sticks than Pizza Hut. ("That's all well and good, but I'm more interested in the pizza!")
Greensboro News & Record columnist Lorraine Ahearn studies this highly-flammable subject today.

"Face it. Reporters are only human.

"And at a historic moment such as this, it's hard not to be swayed. Even the most hard-bitten and objective can stumble, succumbing to a bias that alienates us from the office coffee klatch, the after-church bake sale, even from our own breakfast nook.

"After all, this comes down to age and experience versus youthful optimism. In one corner, gravity, a track record and a promise of substance; in the other, lightness, resilience and buoyancy. When neither camp takes the low road, but instead offers a smorgasbord of possibilities, this is not an easy choice.

"But I confess. After one sample swig of Dunkin' Donuts Cocoanut Roast coffee at the West Wendover store opening Thursday, I'm rethinking my allegiance to Krispy Kreme. ..."

You're dead to me, Lorraine.

Oh, it's on now

"Dunkin' Donuts is going after Krispy Kreme, right in its hometown of Winston-Salem," says the Associated Press.

"Franchise operators for Dunkin' Donuts plan more than a dozen stores in Forsyth and Davie counties over the next four years. ...

"But the nation's largest coffee-and-doughnut franchise, Massachusetts-based Dunkin' Donuts, plans to challenge the hometown favorite.

"Sunny Patel plans five Dunkin' Donuts stores in northern Forsyth County. Sundeep Makhani told the Winston-Salem Journal he plans eight more stores in the area.

"Krispy Kreme spokesman Brian Little wouldn't talk about Dunkin' Donuts, but did say Krispy Kreme thinks there's room for everyone. ..."

Not in my household.

Krispy Kreme to unveil all-wheat doughnut

The Associated Press is reporting that Krispy Kreme will soon unveil a doughnut that is made of whole weat.

The doughnut will have just 180 calories, caramel flavoring and will be covered with its original glaze.

"The Krispy Kreme Whole Wheat Glazed doughnut delivers the delicious taste that our customers have come to expect from us," Stan Parker, the company's senior vice president of marketing, told the AP.

"Krispy Kreme sales started slipping three years ago as the company expanded its operations during the height of the low-carbohydrate diet craze," says the news service. "Executives also had to sort out an accounting mess, with the company's board concluding that two former executives were trying to "manage earnings" to meet Wall Street expectations."