Coco Donuts
Coco Donuts is a Portland-area doughnut and coffee shop chain known for traditional doughnuts, house-roasted coffee, and a family-recipe dough.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Coco Donuts is a small doughnut-shop chain based in Portland, Oregon, serving the Portland metropolitan area. The business combines a traditional neighborhood doughnut-shop format with a broader selection that includes classic raised and cake doughnuts, filled varieties, specialty flavors, mochi doughnuts, and coffee. Its dough is based on a family recipe, and the brand's menu emphasizes familiar formats rather than highly elaborate shapes or novelty toppings. The chain's offerings include buttermilk bars, chocolate-iced doughnuts, jelly-filled doughnuts, lavender varieties, and mochi doughnuts in flavors such as matcha and Oreo. Coco's signature doughnut is a raised chocolate doughnut finished with chocolate glaze, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and cacao. Coffee is a significant part of the proposition: contemporary descriptions of the business have presented Coco as a shop focused on both doughnuts and quality coffee, while Portland food coverage has highlighted its house-roasted coffee alongside its baked goods. Coco developed as a multi-location local business rather than a national franchise. Its Portland-area footprint includes locations identified as Uptown, Downtown, Broadway, Williams, Brooklyn, Portland State University, and Sunnyside in nearby Clackamas. The Williams shop was described as the chain's fourth location when it opened in 2016, and the Brooklyn shop as its fifth when it opened in 2017. By 2023, the business was reported to have seven locations, including six in Portland and one in Clackamas. The brand's positioning is rooted in dependable doughnut-shop classics, accessible neighborhood retail, and coffee service. Portland Monthly characterized Coco as particularly strong on classic formats such as raised, cake, and jelly-filled doughnuts, as well as an apple fritter, while noting that the business generally avoids gimmicky shapes and excessively elaborate glazes. This approach has allowed Coco to occupy a middle ground between an everyday local doughnut shop and a destination bakery with distinctive flavors. Coco has also participated in local food-surplus and community-support efforts. The business has donated surplus food to Outside In, a Portland organization serving vulnerable young people, and has participated in Too Good To Go, a platform that helps restaurants and retailers sell surplus unsold food rather than discard it. Local and regional food publications have repeatedly included Coco in lists and overviews of Portland's notable doughnut shops. Time Out Portland included it among the city's best doughnut businesses in 2019. Thrillist's 2021 Portland doughnut overview described Coco as elevating a traditional doughnut-shop approach without losing its roots. Bon Appétit included it in a 2023 selection of Portland's best doughnuts, and Eater Portland included it in a 2024 overview of notable local doughnut destinations. The available reference material does not establish a founding year, formal corporate structure beyond its named owners, or an official website URL.
History
Coco Donuts is a locally focused doughnut and coffee business operating in the Portland metropolitan area. The available reference material does not identify a founding year or describe the original opening in detail. It does establish that the business is owned by Ian Christopher, Thevy Hul, and Prak Khou, and that Coco grew from a small shop operation into a seven-location chain by 2023. The brand's identity is built around dough made from a family recipe and a menu that balances traditional doughnut-shop staples with selected specialty products. Core formats include raised and cake doughnuts, buttermilk bars, chocolate-iced varieties, jelly-filled doughnuts, lavender doughnuts, and apple fritters. Coco also offers mochi doughnuts, including matcha and Oreo flavors. Its signature product is a raised chocolate doughnut with chocolate glaze, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and cacao. Coffee is an integral part of the store format, and local coverage has associated the business with house-roasted coffee as well as doughnuts. Coco expanded its neighborhood presence during the 2010s. The Williams location on Skidmore Street was identified as the chain's fourth location when it opened in 2016. The Brooklyn location on Milwaukie Avenue was described as the fifth location when it opened in 2017. Other locations were established in Portland's Uptown, Downtown, Broadway, and Portland State University areas. The chain also operates a Sunnyside location in Clackamas, giving it a presence beyond Portland proper. By 2023, descriptions of the business counted seven locations: six in Portland and one in Clackamas. The chain's development has been accompanied by favorable local and regional food criticism. KATU described Coco in 2017 as the only Portland doughnut shop it identified as making both quality doughnuts and coffee. Later coverage emphasized the brand's restraint and consistency. Portland Monthly wrote that Coco excels at classics such as raised, cake, and jelly-filled doughnuts, along with its apple fritter and fresh coffee, and contrasted this with shops centered on elaborate glazes or unusual shapes. Thrillist similarly portrayed Coco as a traditional doughnut shop elevated through execution rather than detached from its roots. Coco has also engaged in food-rescue and community-support activities. It has donated surplus food to Outside In and participated in Too Good To Go, an application that connects customers with restaurants and stores offering unsold surplus food. These activities complement the brand's neighborhood-oriented identity and provide a way to reduce waste from daily doughnut production. Recognition continued in the early 2020s. Time Out Portland included Coco in a 2019 list of the city's twelve best doughnut shops. Bon Appétit named it among eight notable Portland doughnut businesses in 2023, and Eater Portland included it in a 2024 guide to the city's most delicious doughnuts. The cited material does not provide evidence of franchising, national expansion, public listing, acquisition, bankruptcy, or major controversy. Coco remains characterized as an active independent or privately owned Portland-area chain.
- 2024
Included in Eater Portland's doughnut overview
[1]Eater Portland included Coco in an overview of the city's notable doughnut destinations.
- 2023
Seven-location footprint reported
[1]Reference material reported seven locations, including six in Portland and one in Clackamas.
- 2023
Included in Bon Appétit's Portland doughnut selection
[1]Bon Appétit included Coco in a list of eight notable Portland doughnut shops.
- 2019
Recognized by Time Out Portland
[1]Time Out Portland included Coco among twelve of the city's best doughnut shops.
- 2017
Brooklyn location opened
[1]The Brooklyn shop on Milwaukie Avenue was described as the chain's fifth location.
- 2017
Local coverage highlighted doughnuts and coffee
[1]KATU described Coco as a Portland shop producing both quality doughnuts and coffee.
- 2016
Williams location opened
[1]The Williams shop on Skidmore Street was described as Coco Donuts' fourth location.
Products and positioning
A Portland neighborhood doughnut and coffee chain focused on family-recipe dough, well-executed classics, selected specialty flavors, and approachable local retail rather than novelty-driven formats.
Doughnuts
Classic raised and cake doughnuts
Coco's core range centers on familiar raised and cake doughnuts, reflecting the brand's traditional neighborhood-shop positioning. The menu includes straightforward formats such as chocolate icing and buttermilk bars, with an emphasis on dependable texture and classic preparation rather than highly theatrical shapes or toppings.
Doughnuts
Filled doughnuts
Jelly-filled doughnuts form part of Coco's classic offering. They represent the shop's focus on recognizable doughnut-shop staples and are frequently cited alongside raised and cake varieties as examples of the traditional products at which the business is positioned to excel.
Specialty doughnuts
Mochi doughnuts
Coco offers mochi doughnuts with flavors including matcha and Oreo. These products broaden the menu beyond conventional raised and cake formats while remaining within the shop's doughnut-focused identity. The available material does not specify the launch date or whether the flavors are permanently available.
Signature doughnut
Signature raised chocolate doughnut
The signature doughnut is a raised chocolate doughnut finished with chocolate glaze, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and cacao. Its combination of chocolate and coffee elements links Coco's pastry offering with its coffee-shop proposition and gives the otherwise classic menu a distinctive identifying product.
Doughnuts
Apple fritter
The apple fritter is one of the products specifically praised in Portland Monthly's description of Coco. It sits alongside the chain's raised, cake, and jelly-filled doughnuts as a traditional offering that supports the brand's emphasis on familiar formats executed with care.
Coffee
House-roasted coffee
Coffee is a central companion offering at Coco Donuts. Local coverage has referred to the brand's fresh or house-roasted coffee and has treated coffee quality as part of the reason the business stands apart from a doughnut-only shop. Specific coffee varieties and sourcing details are not provided.
Marketing campaigns
- Surplus food donation to Outside In
Portland metropolitan area
Coco Donuts has donated surplus food to Outside In, a Portland organization serving vulnerable young people.
- Too Good To Go participation
Portland metropolitan area
Coco Donuts has participated in Too Good To Go, enabling customers to obtain surplus unsold food and helping reduce food waste.
Recent events
- 2024
Coco Donuts included in Eater Portland doughnut guide[1]
Other
Eater Portland included Coco Donuts in an overview of the city's most notable doughnut destinations.
- 2023
Coco Donuts named among Bon Appétit's best Portland doughnuts[1]
Other
Bon Appétit included Coco Donuts in a selection of eight notable Portland doughnut shops.
- 2021
Coco Donuts highlighted in a Portland doughnut overview[1]
Other
Thrillist's Alex Frane described Coco's approach as a refinement of the traditional doughnut shop without losing its underlying character.
- 2019
Coco Donuts included among Portland's best doughnut shops[1]
Other
Time Out Portland included Coco Donuts in a list of twelve of the city's best doughnut businesses.
Sources1 sources
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