“The crazier ideas are the better ideas,”Andrew Cameron said while talking to me about launching a donut in space. Yes, you heard that right. The new and inventive donut shop in Westport called Donutology did something never done before in America; they launched a donut into space.

The team preserved the perfect donut, hooked it up to a weather balloon and a GoPro with GPS location and set it off in Marceline, Mo., a small town about 125 miles northeast of Kansas City. Marceline is famously known as the childhood hometown of Walt Disney. After it comes back from space, they intend to find the donut and put it in a display case in their Westport store for all to see, as well as the video of its journey.

Cameron, a Creighton University graduate, opened his first donut shop, a Daylight Donuts franchise, six years ago and has since opened multiple locations around the Kansas and Missouri area.

He started noticing that getting a fun and delicious treat like donuts was rather passive. Cameron even mentioned some people really aren’t too kind when you tell them you ran out of their all-time favorite donut for the day. Striving to change that, he came up with a way that not only could customers see fresh donuts prepared in front of them, but those they watched were also the donuts of their choice — and making.

Donutology has a variety of classic donuts, such as traditional long johns and sprinkled donuts, made by hand every day. Along with the traditional donuts,  patrons also have the option to design their own. They first choose from a number of mini donuts and then select the donut type, the frosting flavor, and any extra toppings and sauces. The available options can lead to almost any combination from a maple bacon donut, to a lemon donut with a bacon and chocolate sauce topping.

So far, the store has had amazing success with more than 10,000 customers since its October 2016 opening. Their newest innovation comes in the ordering process. With the city blocking the addition of a drive-thru window, Donutology got creative by  allowing customers to walk up to the giant donut outside the store and place their order there for a fun and fast way to receive their treat.

Another perk of Donutology are the strong ties with local products, which allows the company to pay forward their success by showcasing other small businesses. These partnerships include beverages from Shatto Milk Company and The Roasterie, a coffee producer founded by Rockhurst alum Danny O’Neil (’93). Even the flour for the donuts is sourced locally from of Daylight Donut Flour Co. The merchandise in their store also promotes Kansas City favorites such as the Kansas City Royals and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Donutology also has fundraising opportunities for organizations, such as Rockhurst student groups.

Regardless of what brings you to Donutology, whether that is the creative ordering,  watching your personally crafted donut come to life, or maybe the decadent taste of the donuts,  there’s little doubt that this should be your next local stop in Kansas City.