Krispy Kreme will make sweet dreams come true for some of its fans by leaping into national doughnut delivery.

Starting Feb. 29, aka leap day, the North Carolina-based chain's fresh doughnuts can be delivered to households across the nation, company officials shared exclusively with USA TODAY on Monday.

There is a catch.

You have to be near one of the 350 U.S. locations in 42 states and, in most cases for delivery, have to be 10 miles from a shop, Krispy Kreme Chief Marketing Officer Dave Skena said.

On-demand service Doordash will deliver doughnuts by the dozen and boxed coffee, and there's a $4.99 delivery fee from most locations.

Orders can be placed on the Krispy Kreme app or website, and pickup is available without the fee.

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Krispy Kreme has tested delivery since 2018 from some locations.

"We are adamant about our doughnuts being fresh, which is one of the reasons we haven't done this before we were sure we had a third-party partner that could help us ensure that every one of those doughnuts was delivered fresh and always fresh right from the store after it was made," Skena said.

The freshness factor was one reason the brand had concerns last fall about a Minnesota college student driving four hours to Iowa each way to buy hundreds of doughnuts, then reselling them.

Krispy Kreme originally looked to end Jayson Gonzalez's resell venture but worked with him.

"It is wonderful to see the four or five hours people will drive to get access to our product," Skena said. "I think a lot of brands would be eating their heart out for that kind of devotion."

More households will soon be able to get delivery as the company plans to add 450 new locations around the world by the end of 2022. The first-of-its-kind flagship store will soon open in New York City’s Time Square featuring the "world's largest Hot Light" and a glaze waterfall.

Delivery day launch

To mark the leap day launch of delivery, Krispy Kreme will deliver free doughnuts to new parents, doctors, nurses and staff at hospitals within 10 miles of shops when a baby is delivered and the news is shared on social media.

To get the free doughnuts, @KrispyKreme needs to be tagged on Twitter or Instagram with hashtag #KrispyKremeSpecialDelivery.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko