Donut Connection in Kanawha City has a new 20-year-old owner

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — One 20-year-old is the new owner of the Donut Connection in Kanawha City.

Teresa Ortiz, originally from South Carolina, took over the business from a family friend.

“A family friend was the previous owner of the donut shop, he had another business with family, and he wanted the donut shop to keep building and growing, but he didn’t have the resources to donate to that, and that’s where I came in, I have almost unlimited time because I’m 20,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz said she prepared for a while working at a coffee shop.

“I also worked at a coffee shop to start understanding how organizations run from the inside,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz graduated high school at 14 and studied electrical and chemical engineering in college.

“I might have been good at school, but it wasn’t good for me; it wasn’t what I should be doing,” Ortiz said.

Ortiz said she fell in love with the food industry as a kid.

“My family ran a produce delivery service in South Carolina, we would wake up very early in the morning and pack up all the groceries, and I was about six or seven at the time, Ortiz said. “I loved it, and I knew I wanted to be in something like that in the future, whether it was grocery deliveries or donuts; I just wanted to be in the kind of environment.”

Ortiz said that long-time employees helped her learn the job quickly.

“I have a couple of employees that have been here for 30 years, they have been extremely supportive, and the previous owner has been helping out a lot as well,” Ortiz said.

Story by Chayce Matheny