He built a donut empire from scratch, went from one small shop to stadiums and J.Lo’s birthday, and gave back more than he ever took — this is the story of Miami’s “Donut Man.”
Jimmy Piedrahita opens up about growing up humble, building Mojo Donuts into one of Miami’s most beloved brands, and what it was like to lose it all — without losing himself.
He discusses:
-Why he brought donuts to Miami after one trip to Broward -What it was like making 10,000 donuts in a single day for Formula 1 -The moment J.Lo called his donuts “the best ever” -His emotional decision to shut it all down — and how he handled it -How his 7-year-old son became his motivation -Why relationships will always be worth more than money
⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 – Welcome to Industry Talks: Meet Jimmy “The Donut Man”
0:35 – Why Donuts? The Surprising Backstory
1:05 – Family of Restaurateurs, But He Resisted It
1:24 – Bringing Mojo Donuts to Miami
1:52 – Growing Up in Queens, NYC
2:02 – Family-Owned Colombian Restaurant Roots
2:25 – Childhood Lessons in Hard Work
2:43 – Finding the First Store Location
3:02 – What Made the Spot Perfect
3:40 – Opening Day Chaos and Instant Sell-Outs
4:03 – How He Learned to Bake From Scratch
4:23 – Yeast vs Cake vs Brioche Donuts
5:04 – Red Velvet, Chocolate Frosted & His Favorites
6:04 – Over 200 Donut Recipes Created
6:51 – Childhood Memories of Dunkin' and Milk
7:21 – Scaling to Second Location in Coral Gables
8:16 – Visualizing Expansion From the Penthouse
9:06 – Telling His Partner: “This Is It”
9:38 – Mojo at The Wharf: The Big Break
10:21 – Running Full Store Volume in a Box Truck
10:46 – Why Relationships Are Everything
11:17 – Donuts Delivered During a Baby’s Birth
11:42 – Growing Up Poor Next to a Dumpster
12:04 – Childhood Hustles and Quitting Mom’s Smoking
13:20 – Why Relationships and Purpose Matter Most
13:58 – Top 3 Causes He Cares Deeply About
14:41 – How His Son Changed Everything
15:07 – Love for Dogs and the Homeless Community
15:26 – Store Growth: Coral Gables, Stadiums, More
16:30 – Formula 1: 10,000 Donuts in One Day
17:00 – F1 Security: Snipers and K9 Units
17:50 – The Day He Shut Everything Down
18:30 – Community Reactions and Celebrity Support
19:15 – What J.Lo Said About His Donuts
20:00 – Why Legacy Is Bigger Than Donuts
20:45 – His 7-Year-Old Son Is His Driving Force
21:25 – What’s Next for Jimmy Piedrahita
22:15 – The Mindset That Got Him Through It All
23:00 – Building Bigger Than a Bakery
23:40 – Thanking the City That Gave Him Everything
24:30 – Final Words on Love, Business & Humility
25:30 – Reflecting on COVID and staying active in the community
26:00 – Shutting down was one of the hardest decisions
26:30 – What’s next: People reaching out from other industries
27:00 – Opening new conversations beyond food
27:30 – Remembering his full journey from humble beginnings
28:10 – Giving advice to new entrepreneurs
28:40 – Biggest lessons from growing and losing Mojo Donuts
29:20 – Not every decision has to be about profit
30:00 – You can’t build legacy without love for people
30:40 – Family, service, and staying grounded
31:10 – Wanting his son to grow up proud
31:45 – His goal is to inspire future community leaders
32:30 – Mojo wasn’t just a brand — it was movement
33:15 – Building again, but bigger and more meaningful
34:00 – What his new projects might look like
34:30 – Refusing to chase hype — focusing on substance
35:00 – Highlight: J.Lo calling his donut “the best ever”
35:30 – Why celebrity validation was never the goal
36:00 – The legacy of every person who worked with him
36:30 – Shoutout to the entire Miami community
37:00 – Final thoughts on starting over with purpose
38:00 – Gratitude for the support and love from Miami
39:00 – Why relationships are the real ROI
40:00 – Outro: “This isn’t the end — it’s a new beginning”
Connect with me on my instagram:
🤳Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emiguerra99/
Listen to my podcasts on: 🍎Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/industry-talks-hospitality-podcast/id1790526837
🍏Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Qqf1YkCmKKL0nEH9J5rAv
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🏨 Breakwater Hospitality Group:
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