Maverick's Donut Company - Geoff Vivian
Interview: Michael Irwin
Photography: Marianne Rothbauer, Rothbauer Studio
What first inspired you to go into donuts?
The love that I have for them! All joking aside, while visiting Florida a few years back, there was this great little donut shop that was always super busy and I thought “why couldn’t we do this back home? The people of Ottawa deserve delicious donuts!”
If there were no donuts in the world what would be your next favourite baked treat?
That’s a tough one! I am known for having a sweet tooth. I would probably have to say brownies.... or maybe my mom’s rum cake? Both are delicious, it’s impossible to choose just one.
Maverick's is about to hit it's 3 year anniversary. Will there be a special flavour for this milestone?
We have been so busy with everyday operations and the growth of the business that we haven’t really had the opportunity to give this much thought. That being said, it’s a great idea!
Don't give away any secrets, but what makes Maverick's different than other donuts?
I think that it really has to do with offering a good, consistent product that is made fresh in-house. Our team members are also incredibly creative and they come up with new fan favourite flavours all the time. That’s definitely a huge part of our success.
We hear you have some exciting news and that Maverick's donuts will be available at some of the LRT stations. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
A local coffee company, Happy Goat, has gotten the contract to provide coffee, sandwiches and treats at all of the LRT stations. We provide donuts to their other current locations and now we will be able to showcase our donuts to the LRT ridership.
When you aren't busy making donuts, keeping employees happy and making sure distribution and wholesale are running smoothly what do you do for fun?
I work off the donuts by going to Greco three times a week. I also love hockey and have the privilege of coaching my two sons.
Mavericks has partnered with a few other businesses in Ottawa. Can you tell us about how you work with Happy Goat Coffee Company?
I have a friendship with the owner, Henry Assad, and after discussions with him, it seemed natural to pair his coffee with my donuts :)
Mark Borowiecki walks into Maverick's, he is an Ottawa native and plays for the Sens - what donut do you recommend he try?
We love Mark, he’s been having a great season!
If he comes in on a Friday, I would recommend that he tries one of our fritters (Fritter Friday’s). On any other day, I would recommend that he tries our Lemon Ricotta Signature Donut or our Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donut. It would all depend on if it’s a cheat day or not ;-)