CLARE — Cops and Doughnuts is preparing for a record-breaking Fat Tuesday, with the Michigan bakery chain expecting to sell 70,000 paczki this year. The event marks one of the busiest days for the company as customers seek the traditional treats before the start of the Christian fasting season of Lent.
Fat Tuesday serves as a day of indulgence before Lent begins on Wednesday. Cops and Doughnuts, based in Clare, uses a traditional Polish recipe to produce the pastries, which are scratch-made for the annual holiday.
The paczki are made from scratch following a traditional Polish recipe. The bakery uses extra butter, sugar and eggs to create a treat that is denser than a standard doughnut.
The bakery chain maintains multiple locations and substations throughout Lower Michigan. The distribution network extends from Saint John’s to Alpena and as far north as Gaylord.
Greg Rynearson, the cop owner of Cops and Doughnuts, said the company is preparing for a record-breaking year. Rynearson noted that wholesale partners are requesting larger shipments to meet customer demand.
“We’re going to have tens of thousands of paczki all over Lower Michigan from Saint John’s, all the way up to Gaylord, across to Alpena, all of our locations, all of our substations,” Rynearson said. “And it’s going to be a record year this year. We have some of our wholesale accounts calling in, wanting to boost their orders because they got people that want it.”
In addition to its physical storefronts in Michigan, Cops and Doughnuts offers shipping services. The bakery delivers its products to Washington, D.C., and all 50 states.
To ensure all orders are filled, Rynearson said he expects to be working in the early hours of the morning. “It’s going to be a stretch,” Rynearson said. “I’m probably going to be out at 3:00 in the morning making an extra delivery.”