A popular doughnut brand in Greenville has come full circle.
Circa Doughnut, started in 2014 by Shannon Mercado-Coonce, has been purchased by one of Spartanburg’s rising young entrepreneurs, Robert Caldwell III.
Caldwell, 20, founder of the faith-based thrift store Brown Roof, said he and his fiancé, Maddie Settlemyre, hope to continue to grow Circa’s customer base in the Upstate and maybe beyond.
Caldwell said he plans to relaunch Circa in early February. He has already begun meeting with other business owners in the Greenville and Spartanburg areas about carrying the brand.
His target audience for Circa’s wholesale side will include businesses like coffee shops, local restaurants, and breweries.
For the pop-up side of the business, Caldwell said he hopes to sell doughnuts at three or four farmer’s markets each weekend.
“We are very excited about it,” Caldwell said. “When Brown Roof had a coffee component [within the store], I really enjoyed the craft of coffee — the quality. This is a step toward that… Shannon has established a tremendous following that we hope to continue to build on.”
Caldwell is the son of Bob Caldwell Jr., president of Spartanburg-based Grace Management Group, and the grandson of the fragrance company’s founder, Bob Caldwell Sr.
His uncle, Dodd Caldwell, is an entrepreneur in Greenville who has founded a few tech startups. He serves as president of Rice Bowls, a ministry that distributes coin banks that look like rice bowls to churches and other groups to raise funding to feed orphans around the world.
While he was still in high school, the younger Caldwell opened his thrift store concept in The Fresh Market’s former space at 141 Fernwood Drive. In September, he opened a second Brown Roof location at 1400 Woodruff Road in Greenville near the Walmart Supercenter.
Brown Roof’s business model placed emphasis on supporting local ministries and partnering with local churches to create a “circle of giving” to benefit at-risk youths, families, and seniors. His newest venture will also involve circles, but of the soft and tasty kind.
Caldwell said Coonce, who started making doughnuts as a hobby and eventually made it her full-time job, recently relocated to Arizona.
“I knew she was looking to sell it,” he said. “I saw the potential.”
Coonce’s doughnuts were available at a variety of social hot spots in Greenville, including Methodical Coffee and The Village Grind, according to Caldwell. The founder was also fond of selling at “pop-up” locations, such as local farmer’s markets.
The new owner said he plans to continue that tradition and to grow Circa’s wholesale and catering businesses.
Caldwell and Settlemyre will initially bake out of the Cribb’s Catering kitchen off St. John St. near downtown Spartanburg.
In a statement posted Saturday on Circa’s Facebook page, Coonce introduced Caldwell and Settlemyre as the new owners and encouraged customers to support them.
“I’m so grateful to God for providing me the invaluable opportunity of starting, running, and selling my own business—a business through which I met countless new friends and one very amazing husband,” Coonce said in the statement. “This is a truly happy ending to a wonderful chapter of life, and I know you all will show the Caldwells the same amount of love and support you showed me for so many years.”
On Tuesday, Coonce said she and her husband, Kevin Coonce, were accepted to graduate school in Arizona and made the decision to relocate from Greenville.
“Honestly, I’ve never been more confident in Circa’s future,” Coonce said. “I was thrilled when Robert expressed interest. I knew he understood the craft food scene… It’s a great fit.”
Coonce said the company’s name is derived from the Latin word for “around” and a variation on the word “circle.” She said she wanted to choose a name that wasn’t “punny,” but able capture how important the doughnut has been in cultures across the worth throughout the history and the fact that there is no definitive date it was created.
Caldwell said Circa’s doughnuts will continue to come in 15 “cakey” varieties, including hibiscus, maple bourbon bacon and a chocolate marbled version with creamy coffee glaze.
“It’s a super unique doughnut,” he said. “We have some very great flavors, but it isn’t for the faint of heart. You could go to Krispy Kreme and put down a half-dozen easy, while you might only be able to eat a couple of ours in one sitting.”
Caldwell said he and his bride-to-be hope to maybe one day sell their doughnuts in other cities, but the Upstate will continue to be home for the foreseeable future.
Circa’s prices are $3 to $3.50 for individual doughnuts and $30 per dozen. The company will offer special pricing on bulk purchases.
Caldwell said he will run free deliveries three times per week to wholesale customers in Greenville or Spartanburg. He plans to have a list of locations where customers can purchase Circa’s doughnuts on the company’s website.
For more information, visit www.circadoughnut.com.
