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New Mass. Dunkin’ facility’s doughnut aroma is overwhelming neighbors
A Haverhill resident’s complaint of it smelling "like doughnuts all the time” set off a wave of online comments.
A massive new doughnut plant producing about a million pastries a day is drawing complaints in Haverhill, where residents say an overpowering doughnut smell has been drifting into their homes for weeks.
The issue came to light during a Dec. 19 Haverhill City Council meeting, when JT Couch, a representative for Creek Brook CML — the operator of Dunkin’s largest manufacturing facility — asked for permission to store up to 19,000 gallons of edible shortening at the 30 Creek Brook Drive site.
The facility opened in October after Dunkin shuttered a smaller production plant in the city to make way for the new operation.
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“My house smells like doughnuts all the time for the last two months,” said Sean Wilson, who lives nearby, at the meeting. “It’s distracting, and it’s heavy.”
Wilson said he isn’t opposed to the scent itself, but wants answers about air quality and what residents may be breathing. He added that anyone walking near Tattersall Farm would be overwhelmed “by doughnut smell.”
Councilor Shuan Toohey chimed in, saying he had a similar conversation with a neighbor who described the odor as a “carnival smell with a fried dough.”
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Toohey suggested that he refer the city’s Health and Human Services and Inspectional Services to inspect the facility and determine whether there is a way to mitigate the effects of the smell.
In response, Couch said, “We do take extreme measures to try to limit our air effluence.”
Couch said each fryer has a dedicated hood system with filters changed every 90 days and a cleaning service every 60 days.
Additionally, all equipment is new and meets the latest OSHA air-quality standards.
“The smell though — we make 1 million doughnuts a day,” he said.
Couch said the plant operates from 7 a.m. to about 1 p.m. each day, supplying doughnuts to about 300 stores. The goal is to eventually provide doughnuts to up to 900 stores in the region, which would mean expanding work days to eight hours instead of six.
Wilson confirmed that he smells the doughnuts the most in the morning.
The council continued the meeting to discuss air quality until Jan. 13.
Neither Dunkin nor Creek Brook CML responded to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The story circulated on social media, with many mocking the residents for complaining about the constant doughnut smell.
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The comedian The Boston Dad even offered to relocate the residents for a week to a home near a landfill or a wastewater treatment plant.
Others, like Bill MacDougal, told NBC Boston, “I’m not sure who’s complaining about Dunkin’ Donuts,” adding, “maybe Starbucks people.”
Some even reminisced about when Dunkin’ made the doughnuts in-store, saying they missed the smell when they passed by.
As one person said, “The donuts smelled delicious!”
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