Turning Dunkin' Donuts to Dough

Investors including Colt McCoy brew up plans for 23 Dunkin' Donuts in Austin area

Back in December 2012, plans were unveiled for 24 more Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and doughnut shops in the Austin area. But since then, visible activity on the expansion front has been almost as stale as a five-day-old breakfast pastry. Now, expansion efforts are finally beginning to percolate.

Late this spring or early this summer, a Dunkin’ Donuts store is set to open in Kyle, said Dale Mulvey, one of the partners in local franchisee Coffee Action West LLC.

“We expect to announce several more location commitments soon,” Mulvey said. “Our goal is to put Dunkin’ Donuts within easy reach of all of Austin.”

Currently, three Dunkin’ Donuts locations are operating in the Austin area, including one that Coffee Action West opened last August in Cedar Park. The investment group bought the two Central Texas stores — one in Austin and the other in Round Rock — that were open before the franchise agreement was announced.

In the Austin area, three of the planned stores will be Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins combos. Dunkin’ Brands Group owns the doughnut and ice cream concepts. The rest of the new stores in the Austin area will dedicated solely to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Coffee Action West is financed by Michael Karsch, whose investment management firm returned $1.8 billion to clients in 2013. Mulvey said the closure of Karsch’s investment firm has not affected the franchise group's efforts in the Austin area.

Former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy remains a “key member” of the Austin franchise group, Mulvey said.

“Our plans are unchanged,” Mulvey said. “We … are excited about our plans to bring at least 23 more locations to the Austin area over the next several years.”

Dunkin’ Brands says franchisees and licensees plan to open 380 to 410 new Dunkin’ Donuts stores and five to 10 new Baskin-Robbins locations throughout the United States this year.

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More pumpkin, less milk

Austin-based vegan milk ready for fall with new pumpkin spice flavor

Photo courtesy of Malk

Pumpkin is one of the first ingredients in this flavored almond milk.

Vegans may avoid dairy, but they deserve a pumpkin spice latte in the fall. Malk Organics, an Austin-based almond milk company, is taking care of that with a new pumpkin spice variety.

This seasonal flavor is hitting shelves now, and will be available "throughout the fall season while supplies last," according to a news release. It joins three standard flavors — unsweetened, vanilla, and chocolate — for a total of four almond milks across the board. The company also makes oat and cashew milk, or "malk," and some creamers.

The second ingredient after filtered water is organic pumpkin, so that flavor should come out strong in whatever drink it's spicing up. It also contains almond butter and sugar, plus extracts of vanilla, cinnamon bark, nutmeg, ginger, and clove — all organic, too.

"With the popularity of the pumpkin spice flavor profile, we wanted to offer consumers a healthier way to enjoy their favorite fall beverages." said Malk CEO Jason Bronstad in the release. "We have meticulously crafted a pumpkin spice SKU featuring the cleanest ingredients without compromising on delicious flavor."

When Bronstad talks about health, he's referring to claims made in the release that distance the completely organic product from "gums, oils, and fillers." The brand prides itself on these things, plus few enough ingredients to count on one hand — not quite the case for this more intricately spiced product, but surely an exception can be made for that pumpkin pie flavor.

This isn't Malk's only seasonal effort; it's also bringing back its holiday nog made with almonds, maple syrup, nutmeg extract, and Himalayan pink salt. So far there aren't really any exotic flavors on the permanent menu, but a caramel creamer enhances the otherwise vanilla and unflavored line.

For those who feel called by the dairy-free pumpkin spice but don't know what to make with it, Malk has plenty of recipes on its site that might be nice to spice up. The Pumpkin Protein Pancakes are an obvious candidate for an extra bit of pumpkin oomph, as is the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Actually, there are lots of pumpkin recipes already on the website using other varieties of Malk; but perhaps the Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars could use some additional adventure.

Pumpkin Spice Malk ($6.99 for 28 ounces) can be found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Erewhon, Gelsons, HEB, Fresh Market, and other local retailers. Find nearby options at malkorganics.com.