Why are pastry boxes pink?
Jan. 06, 2025
This Is the Reason Doughnut Boxes Are (Usually) Pink
Ever wondered why doughnuts always seem to come in the same pink box? The answer might surprise you.
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The LA Times examined the phenomenon and found that a generation of enterprising immigrants in Los Angeles can be thanked for those iconic bubblegum pink cardboard boxes.
Apparently, the "pink box is a distinctly regional tradition," though you've probably seen a similar box appear all over movies and television that take place around the country.
The LA Times likens the pink doughnut box to New York's Grecian-style paper coffee cups, writing that the city's doughnut shops are typically small operations run by Cambodian Americans.
The pink doughnut box first appeared in the s, at a time when a Cambodian refugee named Ted Ngoy was expanding his chain of Christy's Doughnuts shops, along with many of his fellow countrymen. The boxes came from a supplier called Westco.
According the legend, the new doughnut shops popping up sought to buy boxes that were cheaper than the white ones chains used, and Westco had the answer: leftover pink cardboard stock. The "9-9-4," as it's apparently called in the industry, fit a dozen doughnuts perfectly.
Pink boxes stuck around because thousands could be produced at a much cheaper price than their white predecessors.
"We doughnut makers were all about saving money," Ngoy told the Times. "Why buy the more expensive white? Save a few pennies and make big bucks."
There's no final say on who requested the pink boxes for the first time, but it could have been one Ning Yen, another Camodian immigrant in the doughnut business around that time, who hoped to use red boxes for "good fortune." His son, Peter Yen, says that he never got the red boxes because the Westco factory kept sending him the pink version.
The box also has a certain emotional resonance for those of us with a sweet tooth.
"It's romantic and childlike and it entices you," said Kimberly Marte, a teacher at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. "It makes you crave sugar."
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Even as shops continue to upgrade their personal brands to keep up with the Instagram age, that classic pink will always be moutheringly recognizable.
Why is Donut Packaging Pink?
Why is Donut Packaging Pink?
The Reason Donut Packaging is Often Pink
Who doesnt love donuts? Theyre delicious, fun, and come in all sorts of flavors and shapes. Yet, what really adds to the experience when ordering a dozen glazed and frosted delights is the box they come inespecially when its pink. But why is this bubblegum colored package synonymous with donuts and where did it originate?
Well according to the LA Times, its history can be traced back to Southern California. Aside from the area being known for surfing and fresh, green avocados, SoCals donut biz, particularly in Los Angeles, has played a major role in shaping its cultural scene.
Back in the mid-s, Cambodian immigrants came to the United States as refugees to escape the brutal Khmer Rouge. With the wave of refugees, came the Donut King Ted Ngoy, who would soon help shape southern Californias donut industry.
While working as a church custodian and gas attendant at night, Ngoy soon became familiarized with a donut shop nearby, reminding him of nom kong, a Cambodian styled donut. He soon saw his opportunity to grow his fortune and asked his church sponsors to help him get into Winchells management training program, which at the time was a dominant donut shop. From the training program, he learned how to manage a business and bake Americas favorite morning pastry, leading him to open his own shop, Christys, in La Habra.
As his chain was expanding, he created an economic pipeline for Cambodian mom-and-pop donut shops to pop up throughout Orange County. He sponsored more than 100 families to start a new life in America through his donut store leasing program, where he mentored and taught them how to run their own store and split the profits between family members.
Eventually, these stores would become highly successful and give way to the rise of the pink donut box arriving on scene to house their delicious, mouthwatering creations.
The reason for the pink boxes? According to legend, supplier Westco was contacted by a West Coast Cambodian donut shop, requesting cheaper boxes rather than the standard white cardboard. So, Westco went to the drawing board and found leftover pink cardboard stock, leading to the creation of bright pink 9x9x4 boxes that perfectly fit a dozen donuts.
Now, while the difference to manufacture the pink donut box versus the white donut box was only a few cents, there was enough savings involved to allow Cambodian donut shops to focus on reinvesting their money in their sweet treats high-quality ingredients.
Today, youll find that pink donut boxes have remained a staple in LA and Southern California and have also expanded nationwide to many other donut shops, including VooDoo Donuts, based out of Portland, Oregon.
But, at the end of the day, the pink donut box started with some savvy Cambodian donut entrepreneurs who wanted to save a few pennies. And were sure glad they did because those pink donut boxes make our mornings that much sweeter.
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