Sweet Coloradough donut shop opening new location in Eagle

Sweet treat lovers rejoice: the award-winning Sweet Coloradough donut and coffee shop is opening a new location on Chambers Avenue in Eagle this fall, and plans to begin serving its popular handmade donuts by October.

Sweet Coloradough was founded by married couple Aaron and Anne Badolato in Glenwood Springs in 2014. The two had moved from Denver to the mountains with their young daughter seeking a slower pace of life, and Aaron Badolato said that while he loved his new home, he quickly noticed a dearth of sandwich and sweet food options in the area.

“I’m more of a breakfast and a lunch eater, and so just trying to find a place that satisfied my cravings, I struggled with,” Badolato said. “The [store] location in Glenwood was a vacant building, and I just started dreaming about food and all the things I wanted.”

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Neither of the Badolatos had experience in the restaurant industry, but they decided to purchase the building and began experimenting with different donut recipes. Aaron said that their pursuit of the ideal donut recipe was led by his own cravings. He visited all of his favorite donut shops, collecting recipes and ideas to take home and experiment with.

“I think the desire to have an apple fritter probably sparked the culmination of it all,” Badolato said with a laugh. “Definitely light, flavorful, not too sweet. I’m more of a traditional donut shop person where I don’t like all the fancy stuff.”

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In time, the couple has developed a regular menu of around a dozen donut and pastry options with a focus on simple and delicious flavors. The most popular products are the 8-hour fritters, 11-layer cronuts — shorthand for “croissant donut” — and classic glazed donuts.

While the idea started small, Aaron quickly learned that he wasn’t the only one craving apple fritters in the mountains.

“I thought when we first opened that we would only be open a couple of days a week and kind of satisfied my craving while at the same time being able to make a little bit of money on that deal,” Badolato said. “As it turned out, I think the first day we opened in Glenwood we sold 3500 donuts, and it just turned into an everyday thing from there.”

Every donut is made by hand and those with jam and cream fillings are filled to order. The Sweet Coloradough staff make anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 donuts every day, cooked in racks of 24 and served fresh. The labor-intensive process has led to widespread recognition of the food quality and the donuts have been recognized as one of the best in Colorado by Travel & Leisure in 2018 and USA Today in 2021.

Sweet Coloradough expanded to its second location in Rifle in 2019, and has also opened locations in Snowmass and Aspen which have since been closed down due to real estate purchases. Aaron said that the past two years have been the company’s most successful to date, and when the space in Eagle became available they knew it was a perfect opportunity to expand.

The new location will serve coffee, donuts and breakfast burritos, with opportunity for expansion into additional foods and possibly a bar, depending on staffing availability. The location also has drive-through capabilities, which Aaron hopes to open sometime next year.

The food quality has given Sweet Coloradough a strong reputation in the state, but Aaron said that it is the customer service and overall experience that keeps people coming back.

“If you took a bunch of donuts of the highest quality and set them all next to each other, they’re all going to be really good, but I think our differentiator usually comes down to service,” Badolato said. “ That experience of food transcends just the food itself, and we focus on the overall vibe and flow and hospitality that someone could experience.”

Giving back and being an active part of the community is also a central part of the Sweet Coloradough mission. Aaron said that they have worked with over 600 people and organizations and donated nearly 2.5 million donates since their founding. In 2020, the company was voted best philanthropic business in Glenwood Springs for their generosity, a tradition that they plan to continue in Eagle County.

“Community is a key piece of the puzzle,” Badolato said. “We just try to make people’s days better, and hopefully, for most people, having something sweet and delicious usually brings a smile to your face. The goal of the shop is to make people happier than when they came in.”

Sweet Coloradough is currently moving into its new location next to the Sinclair gas station on Chambers Avenue and plans to hold a grand opening sometime in late September or early October. The company is seeking local staff members to work at the shop, starting at $20 an hour. Interested parties can contact sweetcoloradough@gmail.com for more information.