Bess Eaton or Bess Eaton Donut Flour Company Incorporated started as a bread and bakery products manufacturer and later as an operator of a small chain of coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...

 shops based in southern New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

, often serving doughnut

Doughnut

A doughnut or donut is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets...

s, bagel

Bagel

A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...

s, and muffin

Muffin

A muffin is an American English name for a type of quick bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist...

s. The firm filed for bankruptcy

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

 in 2004 and liquidated its assets. However, in the spring of 2011, three stores reopened in Wakefield and Westerly RI and Pawcatuck, CT.

History

Bess Eaton was founded in 1953 by Angelo (Bangy) Gencarelli Jr. and was known for its coffee and handcut donuts. The corporate headquarters were located in Westerly, Rhode Island with up to 56 retail shops spread between Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, and Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. At one time, it was Rhode Island's seventh largest private employeer of 750 workers and 650 workers at the chain's sale. Throughout the chain's 50 year history, the company was privately held by the Gencarelli family. In the last year of operations, the firm was focusing on wholesale business and non-store locations to boost profits but ultimately was sold to Tim Hortons of Canada. Leading up to the company's sale, then CEO, Louis A. Gencarelli, Sr., made headlines printing Biblical scripture verses on the company's cups and product packaging.

Demise

In its last decade of operation the Bess Eaton Donut Flour Company faced many internal difficulties including problems with its financial records. As a result, the firm sold its retail division in mid-2004 following bankruptcy litigation. With a reported $35 million bid, the fast-food chain Wendy's International Corporation

Wendy's International

Wendy's International, Inc. is the parent company of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. It also owns 70 percent of Cafe Express. The Tim Hortons chain was spun off by Wendy's into a separate company in September 2006. The Baja Fresh chain was sold in October 2006. On September 15, 2008, the...

 prevailed over the Dunkin Donuts chain in their competition to purchase the 48 defunct Bess Eaton stores and other assets. Within two months of acquisition, Wendy's had converted 42 of those stores to their Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...

brand. In conjunction with the sale, Bess Eaton closed its production facility and corporate headquarters. In 2008 Tim Hortons closed 15 former Bess Eaton locations, with the remainder closing in November 2010.

Rebirth

In November 2010, Tim Hortons closed the doors on all shops in Southern New England. In all they closed 36 stores.
In late January 2011, David Liguori registered a limited liability company under the name Bess Eaton Management LLC with the Rhode Island Secretary of State's Office. He has also registered the Bess Eaton trademark, previously owned by Tim Hortons, under his company name, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Three stores have reopened in Westerly and Wakefield, Rhode Island and Pawcatuck, Connecticut. They plan to use all the original recipes for coffee and pastries.

Management

• Louis A. Gencarelli Sr. - CEO 1982-2002; 2003-2004
• George Cioe - CEO 2002-2003
• Angelo Gencarelli Jr. - CEO and founder 1953-1982 (Member of the Westerly Hospital's Board of Trustees 1976-1982)
• Paul Gencarelli - CFO and son of Louis Gencarelli Sr.