The smell of freshly baked donuts and coffee greet guests as they walk through the doors of Doce Donuts. The name is inspired by the 12th man, a nickname given to fans of the Seattle Seahawks, something many Seattleites take pride in.
Seattle’s Wallingford bakery features donuts inspired by Latin American flavors. This month tres leches, Mexican hot chocolate, churro dulce de leche, and guava con queso are featured.
On May 6, the family-owned business celebrated one year.
Owners Damian Castillo (Venezuela) and Claudia Monroy (Argentina) always dreamed of starting their own business.
The couple saw the Seattle donut market as an opportunity to combine their Latin heritage with an American favorite.
“It seemed like people in Seattle are open to trying new things,” Castillo said. “So that’s how we came up with the idea of putting together an American staple such as a donut with Latino flavors.”
“People from my generation, there’s something called 200-percenters. You feel 100% Latina. You feel 100% American. So, you’re kind of meshing the two cultures. And that’s what we wanted to do here,” Monroy said in an interview with King 5.
Damian Castillo worked with his father, Daniel to perfect the brioche dough recipe, which is vegan and 40% larger than other industrial donut offerings. The elder Castillo has over 40 years of experience baking in Venezuela and the United States.
Doce Donuts Delicious Delights
Everything at Doce Donuts is built from scratch, from the dough to the interior design of the building. Their 4106 Stone Way N location’s open kitchen design allows customers see how the donuts are made while ordering.
“My side of the family helps me with production and recipe development, my wife’s side of the family helps me with designing the place, choosing the colors, and the logo,” Castillo said.
Every morning at 3 a.m., the bakers prepare the brioche dough raised for 24 hours. At 5 a.m., the pastry chefs come in to decorate the donuts. At 7 a.m., the shop opens, and by 1 p.m., they usually sell over 1,000 donuts a day in their small shop.
Castillo says he’s been lucky to find good people to work at his bakery. Their staff includes a pastry chef from Brazil, a baker from Venezuela, and a prep worker from Colombia.
Castillo says that his favorite part of working at the bakery is interacting with customers, seeing them try the donuts, and getting feedback.
Both Castillo and Monroy work full-time jobs at Amazon while managing their business. Castillo hopes to eventually be able to dedicate himself full-time to his business.
“It’s not easy, it takes a lot of people to be able to manage a business,” Castillo said. “People tend to think that if you own a business then you must be doing well and making an amazing living but that’s not the case.”
Doce Donuts is open on Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until they run out (prices range from $4.50 to $5.99.)
Last month, a second location opened in South Lake Union. It operates from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m from Wednesday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Saturday to Sunday.
Cover Photo: 🌺 Hibiscus – Hibiscus glaze topped with candied hibiscus flower. (Credit Doce Donuts)
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