Pro basketballer Chris Bartalotta quits the game to build a doughnut empire with his mum and dad
Chris Bartalotta always dreamed of becoming one of the “greatest basketball players of all time,” but after a series of injuries at the professional level, he retired.
It was heartbreaking and the eight-year-old would have been devastated.
He was 23 at the time and was devastated, but determined to “do something,” so he decided to get into the desserts business, with an emphasis on doughnuts.
There was only one problem, he had no real experience in the business world or in the kitchen.
So he approached his mother Antoinette, 57, a financial expert, and father Frank, 55, a baker, to help.
‘I like doughnuts, they are like fine wine to Dad and me. Even now we enjoy it. So we knew this was the right company for us,” he told FEMAIL.
Chris Bartalotta, pictured right, started a donut business with his mother Antoinette and father Frank when he was 23 after retiring from his professional basketball career
He wanted his comic book style dessert bar to take off, but never imagined it would become as popular as it is today
The family scraped together $2 million to start the daring venture and ‘That’s Alotta Donuts’ was born.
“It was scary, we knew we had a good idea and we could pay it off, but it’s a lot of money and I asked them to risk it all,” he said.
The setup included specialized machinery needed to make the donuts and ice cream and allow the business to expand without the need for more equipment.
Five years later, they’ve paid off their debts and are making amends – but along the way there were times when they thought they’d lose everything.
When Covid came around, the family was under a lot of financial strain just as their business was starting to mature.
The Melbourne bakery, like other “non-essential services,” was on the brink.
Then sales exploded in a way Chris never expected.
He was sure that his company would always sell directly to the customer, but then Tony Ingpen, the manager of Mt Evelyn IGA, asked to stock Chris’s donuts in his shop.
The company faced a huge hurdle when Covid hit and they had to close storefronts – but were picked up by Tony Ingpen, an IGA executive with a soft spot for small businesses
“We wanted to give Tony 100 donuts every two days, but they were popular and before we knew it he was ordering 200 a day,” he said.
One store became three, then 42 and soon the business will expand to another 40 – across Australia.
“We went from selling 200 a day to Tony to 2,000 a day to all stores.
He now sells 8,000 donuts every day, through the family’s two own stores, their network of IGA stores, and online customers.
Chris runs the company and draws on skills gained as team captain of state, national and international basketball teams.
His mother takes care of the finances and his father takes care of the donuts.
‘He is a baker by profession, he started when he was 15 before going into the fruit wholesale business. He’s back in my kitchen full-time and has been since I suggested making doughnuts,” he said.
“I was dealing with a few injuries and he suggested we look for a real company together,” Chris said of his decision to retire from basketball.
His father planted the seeds for the donut business, Chris said.
“I was struggling with a few injuries and he suggested we look for a real company together,” he said.
“It was my idea to focus on dessert, after all we’re based in Melbourne,” he said.
The father-son duo then traveled the world in search of the best donut, custard and ice cream recipes to help their business shine.
And what started as a company run by the three members of the family eventually grew.
“There are now 42 people in the company,” he said.
A baking team led by his father starts cooking early in the afternoon, then at 11:00 pm the decorating team appears to dress the donuts.
“They work until 5-6 in the morning, then all the drivers leave so we can take the donuts to the stores and to our online customers,” he said.
According to Chris, the donuts with jam and cream are the most popular.
But he says the overall look and feel of the “comedy-themed” dessert shop has been key to its success.
Chris says he loves donuts and is proud that his scary guess worked for the better
Chris played basketball from the age of eight and was devastated when he had to retire due to injuries
The donuts are designed to pop on Instagram, just like the in-store walk-in experience.
“I never imagined the company would grow like this, even though I was sure we would be successful,” he said.
“It’s been really remarkable — and we’re just excited to take on the next challenge — moving to stores across the country, which means getting a good frozen product,” he said.
Chris said he never saw himself as a businessman.
“When I had to leave basketball I was quite disappointed, I remember feeling like it had all been a waste of time.
“But it turned out to be so.”
IGA focuses on giving local suppliers shelf space, giving each store “the power to choose what to stock.”
This helps them to help a family business like ‘That’s Alotta Donuts’ succeed and gives them the chance for national exposure.