Lifestyle

We taste-tested Pick n Pay’s new Dots Doughnuts against Krispy Kreme, Woolworths and others – and the winner was clear

Staff Writer

 ·1 Oct 2026

Pick n Pay has launched an exclusive partnership with international doughnut brand Dots Original to launch the brand in South Africa.

A select range of 11 types of Dots Doughnuts, including topped, filled and pop dots, is now exclusively available at around 150 Pick n Pay stores nationwide.

The Dots brand is part of Europastry, a global bakery specialist supplying breads, pastries, cakes and doughnuts across more than 80 countries.

Pick n Pay said the partnership is part of its strategy to keep its ranges fresh and relevant, and give customers more options.

It added that more varieties of the doughnuts could be coming down the line.

“As we learn more about what South African customers enjoy, we can introduce new varieties while continuing to introduce international flavour trends to our stores,” it said.

Having an international brand like Dots enter South Africa puts it head-to-head with heavyweights like Krispy Kreme, as well as retailers’ own offerings.

Pick n Pay said that Dots’ distinctive flavours, toppings and formats are difficult to replicate in a traditional in-store bakery, making it “something different”.

BusinessTech is not one to rest on claims, however, and has put the new brand to the test.

Sticking to our long-held tradition of ignoring dietary advice, we gathered a variety of doughnuts from Pick n Pay, Checkers and Woolworths, as well as an assortment from Krispy Kreme, to see how Dots stacks up.

Overall, there were 24 doughnuts in the running.

We blind tasted all the doughnuts available and scored each one out of 10, leaving it to the insatiable appetites of the office staff to determine the victor.

Disclaimer: Taste is subjective, and as the scores show, opinions on doughnuts can differ greatly. Dots Doughnuts were supplied by Pick n Pay, and all others were procured from local retailers based on availability. The rankings are not exhaustive or comprehensive, as many other retailers and brands exist, and local retailers themselves make their own in-store versions, which can vary. Please remember that this list is just a bit of fun; don’t email us complaining that your favourite brand was ranked low.

Eat what you love.

The Results

Across all categories, Dots emerged as the clear winner, with its Tricolour doughnut scoring the highest average of 7.35 out of 10 among our 20 testers.

Dots Dark Deco ranked second with a score of 6.54, showing the clear lead of number one.

Dots Nutty and Dots Pink and White ranked third and fourth with 6.41 and 6.27, respectively. Closing out the overall top five was Woolworths’ Double Chocolate doughnut, with a score of 6.09.

Our tasters went into the task thinking that Krispy Kreme would be the clear winner; however, many were surprised that they actually couldn’t guess which was which.

Krispy Kreme’s showing was average, with its chocolate doughnut ranking above its standard glazed.

At the bottom of the pile, Pick n Pay’s standard custard-filled doughnut did not impress, scoring a 2.35. Krispy Kreme’s chocolate-filled doughnut was also not a crowd-pleaser, managing only 2.57.

In the end, Dots came out on top, but it was not without its share of controversial takes.

The Dots Yellow Frutti doughnut had an unmistakable ‘artificial’ banana flavour, which was incredibly divisive. At least one person loved it, giving it their top score. Others were not so kind.

It scored the lowest for the brand at 3.89.

The Dots Lemon also yielded a pendulous outcome, with scores swinging across the board. It ranked second-lowest for the brand, but still managed a respectable 5.21.

Best filled doughnut: Dots Tricolour

Overall brand average