Jaime Avery wanted a new way to connect with her hometown. She grew up in Tucson and spent her career building communities nationwide. But she wanted to focus closer to home.
“I needed to get out from behind my screen and step away from my desk and connect with people locally in our own community including spending more time with my family, teaching my kids valuable skills, and hopefully building a legacy for them,” she said.
Her vision became Zona Donut, a mini donut shop at Park Place Mall. The shop emphasizes fun, family, and a customer-driven menu.
Zona Donut started in a temporary food court location before moving to its current kiosk space. The smaller footprint created a more personal experience.
“We were always meant to be in the kiosk space,” Avery said. “Mall management was gracious enough to provide us a space to work out of while we were building out our kiosk and the food court space was just too big for us.”
The new space, about 100 square feet, helps Avery and her team engage with customers.
“This allows us to connect better with our customers and focus on creating a more engaging experience,” Avery said.
Zona Donut’s specialty is mini donuts made fresh to order.
“They are always served hot & fresh because we make them onsite at the time of order,” Avery said. “They are never on display or in a case.”
Customers choose their own toppings, and Avery’s team created a menu of popular combinations like strawberry cheesecake and caramel apple pie.
“Everything is modifiable as they are made-to-order and ultimately designed by the customer,” Avery said.
The donuts start with one base: a vanilla cake-style mini donut. The batter is mixed fresh, then fried on demand. Variety comes from toppings like drizzles, icings, candies, cookies, and seasonal items.
Also note: they offer gluten-free donuts at the Park Place location at 11 a.m. every Saturday. Supply is limited, so order ahead by contacting them directly.
Zona Donut combines nostalgia with choice.
“We like to create classic, nostalgic flavors that people can connect with,” Avery said. “But more importantly, we provide an opportunity for people to create their own flavor combinations.”
Unlike traditional donut shops that stock only what’s available each morning, Zona Donut lets customers design their own flavor profile.
“We want the donuts to be exactly the way you’ll enjoy them and do not limit or charge extra for toppings,” Avery said.
Strawberry cheesecake leads as the top seller, followed by cinnamon sugar. Avery noted that Oreo cookies & cream, s’mores, and milk & cereal also rank high with customers. She also loves to experiment with seasonal flavors.
“We have some exciting new menu items being added including apple cider and pumpkin spice sugars for the fall, and some fun holiday inspired combinations coming for winter,” Avery said.
Zona Donut also looks for local partnerships.
“We haven’t done any collabs just yet, but I have had a conversation with the owner of ‘I’d Smoke That BBQ’ about creating a smoked sugar and using their hot honey as a topping,” Avery said. “We’re both excited to see how it turns out!”
Customer response has been overwhelmingly positive since the relocation.
“The move has been amazing!” Avery said. “We have gotten a lot of support and positive feedback from people about the new space. They love how it looks and feel like it fits better with our brand, which is exciting!”
Looking forward, Zona Donut plans to grow.
“We are in the process of opening a second location at Tucson Mall, and are in discussions about several other potential locations around Tucson,” Avery said.
The Tucson Mall location is essentially ready now, but waiting on the final health inspection before announcing the grand opening. [10/09/2025 editor’s note: the location is now open]
She added that opportunities beyond Tucson have already surfaced, but they are not ready for that quite yet.
For Avery, the business blends family, community, and creativity.
“I strive to make a difference for others even if that’s just offering a little moment of delight watching donuts being made, or creating their own flavor combination, or simply tasting a sweet treat,” she said.
As Zona Donut expands, its recipe for success stays simple: hot donuts, happy customers, and a deep connection to Tucson.
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