Peace and love may dominate in belief systems, but Peace, Love and Little Donuts is no longer the only artisanal donut shop in Fort Collins. Just down College Avenue hides a strong, new competitor: FoCo DoCo.

The Fort Collins Donut Company just opened in August, so I went to try it. The shop is open for a wide range of hours– 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm Sunday-Thursday and 7:00 am to 10:00 pm Friday-Saturday– and is located near the north edge of Old Town, across from Starbucks, in the Exchange. The shop is similar to Dutch Bros. or Human Bean and you walk up to a window to order. It can be a little difficult to find but there is a sign hung above the shop.

The idea of the shop is unlike many others. The owner, Megan, founded it to represent the healthy Colorado lifestyle with an unhealthy balance. All of the donuts are made using locally sourced ingredients like Palisade peaches and are fried to order in sunflower oil, one of the healthiest oils. The donut batter is dropped into the oil using a special robot.

The menu caters to a wide variety of tastes, with some seasonal, rotating flavors and other permanent flavors. For those with a more refined palette, there are flavors like berry basil creme brulee and carrot cake, while classics flavors such as powdered and cinnamon are permanent members of the menu. The shop also offers classic coffee shop drinks like coffee, chai, and lattes. For each flavor you choose, you get two donuts for $3.

I went there on a Thursday morning before school and wasn’t sure what to expect. As soon as I went to the front window to order, I was greeted by the owner, Megan. She was extremely friendly and talkative. I placed my order of two carrot cake and two powdered sugar donuts. The donuts are smaller than average donuts, but because you get two per order, it averages out to be about the same amount of food as a normal donut. They were ready in about five minutes and I was able to see them preparing the donuts behind the counter. Megan even gave me a free third carrot cake donut for free!

As far as the tastes go, the donuts were amazing. The powdered sugar donuts had a delicious traditional taste with the right balance of flavor. They were not covered in an excess amount of powdered sugar, making them a less messy treat compared to most powdered sugar donuts. Biting into them, they were still warm with a wonderful crunch on the outside while being soft and sweet on the inside.

The carrot cake donuts were on par with the powdered sugar ones. They were covered in a sweet carrot glaze that gave them a less crispy bite, but the texture was still spectacular. The carrot flavor was noticeable but not overpowering. The donut was topped with a cream cheese frosting, carrot shreds, and a single walnut. The cream cheese frosting was extremely light and fluffy and added a nice sweetness to the donut.

FoCo DoCo not only excels in their flavors, but also their customer service, making them a strong competitor amongst other donut shops in Fort Collins. I highly recommend FoCo DoCo as a unique dessert or breakfast spot. With a rotating menu, you never know exactly what to expect but you can always expect quality.