Healthy Donuts, Big Hustle: The Unfiltered Story Behind the Rise of Glonuts with Kristin Charbo

In this episode of Shopify Happy Hour, we sit down with Kristin Charbo, co-founder and CEO of glonuts—a clean, craveable donut alternative with just 1g of sugar. Kristin shares the honest story of building glonuts from her one-bedroom apartment kitchen alongside her co-founder (and now husband) Grover, hand-making over 100,000 donuts before scaling to national retail shelves.We dive into how they approached retail without relying on digital ads, why packaging became their best salesperson, the challenges of manufacturing a totally unique product, and how they raised capital the scrappy way. Kristin also opens up about managing PCOS through diet and how that inspired glonuts' mission to make healthy snacking more fun and accessible.Whether you're building a CPG brand or just love a good founder journey, this one’s packed with insights—and donut jokes.Brands mentioned:Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Daisey Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidKifErewhonAlfredNowadaysZaraFrench SquirrelChapters00:00Introduction to glonuts and Healthy Eating06:21The Origin Story of glonuts12:14Challenges in Manufacturing and Fundraising20:13Retail Strategy and Building Relationships24:40Marketing and Brand Differentiation27:48Future Plans for glonuts