Mighty Donuts Opening In Hamden Is A Dream Come True For Owner

HAMDEN, CT — Yericka Estrada came to Connecticut from Puerto Rico 12 years ago with “a lot of dreams and a baby.”

She is now living the dream as the owner of two businesses in Hamden, including the recently opened Mighty Donuts on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden.

Mighty Donuts opened in mid-December at 1166 Dixwell Ave. and is quickly becoming a destination for its unique mini donuts.

The donuts are fried and come with powdered or cinnamon sugar and a variety of toppings, including chocolate and vanilla icing, Nutella, cookie crumbs and more. They also serve freshly squeezed lemonade with flavors available, coffee and hot chocolate.

Estrada said the idea for Mighty Donuts came out of a conversation with her husband Luis, a New Haven native who works as a truck driver.

Estrada, who has owned Drastik Nails salon since 2018, said they were talking about the future and something that they could do together and for the kids, and he mentioned the mini donuts.

“There’s no mini donut shop in the area and technically people had to wait till the Big E to enjoy them, or travel,” she said. “People from my island love these donuts, they are very common back home. So after that conversation and exploring our options, the entrepreneur in me decided to make it official.”

Estrada said they had just had a baby last year, so they weren’t ready at the time. But she saw an empty spot next to her nail salon on Dixwell Avenue, and said, “I knew that place would be perfect and I went for it.”

Since they both work full-time, it took them around three to four months to get everything together, according to Estrada. She said they did all the work themselves, with some help from friends and her husband’s family, “but it was challenging.”

“Finally on Dec 17., we opened the shop, and thank God it’s been great,” she said. “We have people coming not only from Hamden and nearby areas, but also from New York and Massachusetts.”

While they’ve felt some of the effects of the rising costs of food and supplies, Estrada said they try to keep a simple menu and prepare everything fresh to try and avoid wasted food.

Estrada said they are planning on adding a few items for the summer that she’s sure people will love.

Mighty Donuts is open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Estrada said she never went to college, but has been hard-working ever since she was very young and was always looking on what to sell, or what she can do for herself.

“I came to Connecticut dreaming to one day have my own business, and little by little, that dream came true, but even better than I was expecting,” she said. “I was thinking of one business, but now I own two, and I don’t think I’m stopping here.”

For more information about Mighty Donuts, visit its Facebook page here.