Meet the Couple Behind the Viral Brooklyn Vegan Donut Shop
by Yasmine Jameelah
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March 9, 2023

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Meet the Couple Behind the Viral Brooklyn Vegan Donut Shop

Zewiditu Ruffin and Derrick Faulcon at the Cloudy Donut Co. (Courtesy of @cloudy_donuts/Instagram)

Cloudy Donut Co., a Black-owned vegan donut shop in Brooklyn, New York (with two additional locations in Baltimore, Maryland) has amassed quite the following and become one of the go-to vegan dessert locations in New York City! After going viral on TikTok with countless reviews and customers sharing their favorite flavors, there was only one more thing we needed to know (aside from what time do they open) who is behind this donut shop that people can’t get enough of?! Today Black Love visited Cloudy Donut Co. and had an intimate conversation with Zewiditu Ruffin, co-founder of Cloudy Donut Co. on the journey to multiple locations, her love story with Co-Founder Derrick Faulcon, and their hopes for the future of their business. 

Yasmine Jameelah: Walk me through your story; how did cloudy donuts come to be?

Zewiditu Ruffin: Derrick Faulcon founded Cloudy Donut in 2020, literally amidst the uproar of George Floyd’s murder, Black Lives Matter Movement. Where in some places, people were deciding whether to loot or support businesses, our business had only just begun. A few months later, the world shut down in the global pandemic. So many restaurants closed, but with our donut grab-and-go concept, we remained open. Derrick owns the real estate to all his properties in Baltimore, so we had the opportunity to be creative amidst our build-out. In 2020, Derrick started Cloudy Donut and acquired the first building; we then visited Brooklyn Heights, NY and found the most beautiful rental space. I’ve always wanted to move back to NYC; Derrick had the vision for us and the plan. In 2021, we opened our second Cloudy Donut shop in Baltimore, MD, and began construction on the NYC shop. The last three years have been a labor of true love, for if we didn’t share it, I can’t imagine where we’d be — the shop included.

YJ: You’re the first Black-owned business in Brooklyn Heights! This is a major accomplishment. Was the road to opening the location easy?

ZR: We opened in October 2022, as the first Black-owned food and beverage business here, without even knowing. I remember one day, we were in the shop cleaning, and a neighbor walked in, an older Black Woman–she said, with hesitation, “do you all own this place?” When we shook our heads yes, she was in shock. She said she’d seen us for a few days, but assumed we were the movers. There was no way that we could have been the Owners of this establishment, for she hadn’t seen anything like us in the 50 years she’d been living on this Columbia Pl. block.

 

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A post shared by Cloudy Donut co. (@cloudy_donuts)

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YJ: I love to hear that! Why vegan donuts?

ZR: To be honest, Derrick loves sweets. He is a food genius (already owning a brunch restaurant Home Maid, since 2016 in Baltimore, MD.) He found something amazing, I tried the donuts and I was all in–kinda. I didn’t officially join the brand until August 2020, while teleworking as a Teacher. Everything this man creates begins in the house and with love, from our playlists to the light fixtures. For us, it isn’t about the donuts, it’s about the hands that create them. Some people want to keep the conversation solely on the donuts, yes they’re great–and it has everything to do with us being Black. We already know as Black People in America we continue to have to work twice if not three times as hard, to get half the opportunity to our white counterparts. We are already in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in America, let alone New York City — so we’ve got to come with everything we have. 

YJ: Talk to me about your own love story, how did it begin?

ZR: Derrick originally met me in 2018 at a music festival in DC. I’m not going to lie, I was in a bubble back then, with my homegirls and not fully present in that space. The person he knew at the event told him that they knew my Instagram, which is conveniently my name, and Derrick began to follow me. It’s also important to note that he was there scoping out the food truck scene, totally on his R&D tip, and I was just living my life at that time…true to our personalities. In 2019, we officially met after he offered to assist with my Nana’s home-going service — even without ever meeting her or me. Foolishly, I thought he was trying to talk to me, whereas now, I know that is truly just who he is. He is someone that will offer aid just because, with literally no strings attached. Since March 20, 201–I’ve had the privilege to know, love, live, and be with my best friend.

YJ: Your story seems to be rooted in many things, but community and Black love seem to be at the center. Would you say that’s accurate? 

ZR: When we met, the first week, we both agreed we wanted to become transitional people in our families. We had committed to some real work, deep and ugly conversations that neither one of us knew (at the time) would uproot and uplift us, not just as a couple but more specifically as individuals. Now, the work that we are doing spans far beyond us, and while we know this will outlive us, we are honored to be creating the foundation.

 

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A post shared by Cloudy Donut co. (@cloudy_donuts)

YJ: What are you most proud of since becoming an entrepreneur? 

ZR: That we get to wake up every day authentic in who we are. Standing on what we believe. Answering to no one but our calling. That is a blessing and a distinct gift that we are proud of and aware to bestow. Derrick has been living in this truth since he was a child. This is new for me and every day, I get to look to my partner as both a source of inspiration and guidance. I trust God and the man that he placed in my life. 

Follow Cloudy Donut Co. on Instagram to learn more about Derrick and Zewiditu’s story and visit them at their locations in Baltimore and Brooklyn Heights.

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