Our Story

In May 2013, Liz Sperman, Hayley’s Donut’s founder, left her second corporate desk job in a row with an overwhelming feeling that the further she advanced in her career, the more unhappy she was becoming - the harder it was for her to find passion in what she was doing. She was at a crossroad, one day on the phone lamenting to her sister about what would come next,  when  she had the idea - what if she just started a gluten free bakery?!

Liz wasn’t and still currently is not Gluten Free herself, but her second niece Hayley was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007, she was only 2 years old. There were less products on the market then, and Liz recognized the challenge for Hayley growing up with far less options available to her. Hayley is Liz’s inspiration. She wanted to give her (and those like her) an experience she couldn’t otherwise get, while at the same time be guided by her commitments to community, sustainability and good health. 

Early on after working in a cupcake shop Liz sought a differentiator. That’s when she realized that no one was doing fried gluten free donuts, not well anyway. After all, gluten is the protein in wheat that provides the elasticity, donuts are about the chew - this means replicating a chewy donut that was gluten free would be difficult. 

Never deterred from a challenge, Hayley’s Donut was born.

Liz Sperman is a hospitality professional with experience in tech, digital & product marketing. She considers herself an innovator, a levitator and a givitator. With a degree from Cornell University and 10+  years of experience working in marketing, events & production and with customers for various SaaS companies, culminating with running the email marketing program at a well known national omni-channel nutritional supplements retailer, where she realized her passion for health and nutrition. 

Since deciding to start her own business, Liz has spent over 9 years topping off her experience in various bakery and food service  externships. These included working as a Barista, a Cake Decorator, Production Supervisor for a gluten free cake bites startup, Supervisor on a Donut food truck, and just prior to the pandemic as the Business Manager for a top-12 allergen free bakery in CT.

During the pandemic while working part-time as a COVID compliance & Testing Supervisor in the production industry, Liz found the time to really focus her efforts on perfecting her gluten free cake donut recipe, creating various flavors and toppings that are not only delicious but also look beautiful. With the pandemic now in the past Liz is finally able to focus her efforts full time on bringing her donuts to the masses.

Liz believes that there are certain things that feed the soul, including music, yoga/meditation, and of course, FOOD. Without a well fed soul how can we go out there and be our best selves?