Selling and marketing
Wholesale Donut Suppliers: Cost per Dozen and Margin (2026)
What a case of donuts really costs, which suppliers to check, and the per dozen math that keeps your margin.
On this page
What to remember
- Wholesale donut suppliers sell by the case, not by the dozen.
- Klosterman Bakery sells nationwide to stores and foodservice.
- WebstaurantStore ships its bulk donuts frozen.
- Bakers Authority sells in bulk for bakeries, resale, or events.
- Bakery Wholesalers sells equipment, not donuts.
Buying from wholesale donut suppliers is a different job than baking. You compare case prices, minimums, and delivery, then work out what you can charge per dozen and still keep something. This guide covers what each source sells, the five questions to ask before you order, and the math that tells you if a case is worth it.
What wholesale donut suppliers actually sell
Not every company that shows up in a search sells you donuts. Some sell frozen cases you finish at home. Some sell equipment. Knowing which is which saves you a wasted phone call and a wasted deposit. Klosterman Bakery sells wholesale donuts to convenience stores, retail bakeries, and foodservice businesses nationwide, according to its product pages.
WebstaurantStore ships its bulk donuts frozen, so you need freezer room before you order. Bakers Authority sells donuts in bulk for bakeries, resale, or events. Bakery Wholesalers supplies donut shop equipment, including professional donut makers and mini machines, which is a different purchase entirely.
What each source sells, from its own site.
| Source | What they sell |
|---|---|
| Klosterman Bakery | Wholesale donuts to convenience stores, retail bakeries, and foodservice, nationwide |
| WebstaurantStore | Bulk donuts, shipped frozen |
| Bakers Authority | Donuts in bulk for bakeries, resale, or events |
| Bakery Wholesalers | Donut shop equipment, including donut makers and mini machines |
Check these five things before you order a case
A supplier page tells you what they sell. It rarely tells you what you will pay. Ask these five questions before you commit, and get the answers by email so you have them in writing. A phone quote that changes at invoice time is a problem you cannot fix later.
Ask for the price per dozen
A case can hold 24, 48, or more. Divide the case price by the count so you compare like with like.
Ask about minimums and delivery
Some suppliers want a full pallet or a business account. Get the minimum in writing before you plan a menu around them.
Ask if it ships frozen
WebstaurantStore ships its bulk donuts frozen, so you need freezer space and a plan for thawing before the first box lands.
Ask who they already sell to
A supplier set up for convenience stores and foodservice works differently than one set up for small accounts. Ask which one they are.
Ask what the box costs you
Packaging is your cost, not theirs. Price a box before you price the donut.
Work out your cost per dozen from a case price
Say your case of 48 frozen donuts costs $36. That is 75 cents a donut before you do anything to it. You spend an hour and a half finishing and boxing them, and you pay yourself $15 an hour, so labor is $22.50. Glaze, boxes, power, and your market fee add $9. Your total is $67.50, or about $1.41 a donut.
Overhead here is the glaze, the boxes, the power for the freezer, and the fee you pay for your market stall. If you sell online, add your payment fees too. Nothing in that $9 is optional, and leaving it out is how a case that looked cheap turns into a loss.
Sell them at $2.50 each and 48 donuts bring in $120. Take out the $67.50 and you keep $52.50, a margin of about 44 percent. Drop the price to $1.75 and you bring in $84 and keep $16.50, under 20 percent. The case price did not change. Your price did.
Run the same math on a second supplier before you pick one. A higher case price with a lower minimum can beat a cheap case you cannot sell through. Donut wholesale price walks through the per dozen comparison in more detail.
The mistakes that cost you money
The first mistake is comparing a case price to a per dozen price. A $36 case sounds cheaper than $10 a dozen until you find out the case holds 24. Divide every case price by the count before you compare anything.
The second mistake is forgetting what frozen donuts need. Freezer space, thaw time, and a plan for the ones that do not sell. The third is ordering before you have a buyer. Frozen donuts keep, but they still tie up cash you could spend on a market table.
Packaging is the quiet cost. A box that costs 40 cents adds $19.20 to a 48 donut order. Donut packaging box wholesale lists the checks that keep that number down.
When buying beats baking your own
Buying makes sense when your time is the bottleneck. If you can sell 48 donuts at a market and finishing them takes 90 minutes, a case adds a product without adding an oven. Baking makes sense when you already have the fryer, the recipe, and a price that covers your hours.
Either way, the number that matters is the margin after ingredients, labor, and overhead. Donut shop profit breaks that down for a shop that fries its own. If you sell more than donuts, the selling guides hub covers the rest.
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- Donut shop pricing: cost per dozen and margin
- Wholesale baked goods suppliers: 50 to 60% and 2 accounts
- Donuts boxes wholesale: cost per box and your margin
Common questions
Do wholesale donut suppliers sell to home bakers?
Some do and some do not. Klosterman Bakery sells to convenience stores, retail bakeries, and foodservice businesses, so a home kitchen may not fit their account setup. WebstaurantStore and Bakers Authority sell online in bulk, which is often easier for a small order. Ask about minimums before you plan a menu.
Is a frozen case cheaper than baking my own?
It depends on your time. A frozen case has a clear price per donut, and you can work out your margin in a minute. Baking your own spreads the cost across ingredients, labor, and power, which can be lower per donut but takes hours you could spend selling.
How do I compare two case prices?
Divide each case price by the number of donuts inside. A $36 case of 48 is 75 cents a donut. A $30 case of 24 is $1.25 a donut. Then add your finishing time, packaging, and overhead to each, because a cheaper donut that takes longer to finish is not cheaper.
What is a good margin on resold donuts?
There is no single number, and it depends on your market and your costs. Work backwards instead. Add your case cost, your labor, and your overhead, then set a price that leaves you something you are happy with. If the price your market pays leaves nothing, the case is not worth ordering.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice. Prices and supplier terms change, so confirm them before you order.