Derby-based doughnut specialist Project D has teamed up with pub company Greene King to launch a new strawberries & cream filled doughnut.
Priced at £6.49, the Horseshoe Homer is being added to the summer menu of 249 Hungry Horse pubs across the UK, one of the 14 brands owned by the pub giant.
The doughnut is an adaption of Project D’s bestselling Homer doughnut, which is topped with bright pink white chocolate icing and colourful sprinkles. Instead of a ring, however, it is baked in a horseshoe shape to match the pub chain’s logo, and then filled with ice cream, strawberries and cream.
Customers are challenged to either “go solo” or share the sweet treat, which is billed as offering a unique twist to the nation’s favourite summer dessert.
Project D said it expects to manufacture thousands of Horseshoe Homers each week from its purpose-built 11,000 sq ft bakery in Spondon. The collaboration marks the latest deal for the high-flying doughnut brand, having previously secured partnerships with the likes of British Airways, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Brewdog.
“This is absolutely huge for Project D. It’s like winning a Grand Slam for us!” said co-founder and marketing director Max Poynton.
“Although we have big ambitions, Project D is still a relatively small company in comparison to Greene King. To work alongside such a massive pub chain – one that’s been going in the UK since the 18th Century – is just amazing.”
To meet with Greene King’s requirements, the Horseshoe Homer recipe was said to have undergone months of testing at Project D’s state-of-the-art research and development facility in Corby, Northamptonshire.
“It took tonnes of development with our team of nutritional scientists to arrive at the perfect result,” noted Poynton. “The addition of whipped cream and fresh strawberries was yet another challenge that we overcame. But I don’t think anyone who tries a Horseshoe Homer will look at strawberries and cream in the same way again.”
Hungry Horse senior marketing manager Sarah Williams said the Horseshoe Homer was proving extremely popular with guests “as expected”, adding that the feedback they had received so far had been incredible. “We’re big on quality and flavour and we knew Project D would be able to deliver just that to our new menu,” commented Williams.
Founded on a kitchen table in 2018 by Poynton and his former schoolfriends Matthew Bond and Jacob Watts, Project D has experienced significant growth in recent years supported by the likes of viral videos on TikTok. The business is targeting a turnover of £12m within the next three years, more than quadruple its current £2.6m in annual sales.
Three weeks ago, it revealed it had smashed its crowdfunding target by 31%, raising £524,000 from investors to supercharge its rapid expansion plans including the opening of new permanent stores across the UK. It is also looking to host a doughnut festival in summer 2024, affectionately dubbed Glaze-tonbury.
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