by David Ball
Staff Writer
While enjoying the Fall Art Festival in San Marco last Saturday, Kylie Van Benschoten thought hard to effectively describe her first experience tasting kettle korn sold by vendor Neal’s Kettle Korn of Jacksonville.
“It tastes like peanut butter,” said Van Benschoten, noting the sweet and salty combination that envelops every puffed kernel. “It’s crunchy like a cracker. It’s my favorite.”
It took only a few mouthfuls for 4-year-old Van Benschoten to begin what will likely be a lifelong love of the unique popcorn treat.
Susan Neal of Neal’s Kettle Korn said moments like that happen all the time and are the reason she’s been able to turn her love of a snack into a very successful small business that supplements her other work in real estate.
“It sells itself, it really does,” said Neal. “When people want a snack, they either want something sweet, salty or crunchy, and kettle korn is all three. People just love it.”
Neal fell in love with the snack when she tasted it eight years ago at the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair. She watched the vendor and thought, “Hey, I can do that.”
Neal did some online research and even traveled to Punta Gorda for a two-week kettle korn training program. Later, she purchased the booth from the Jacksonville vendor and Neal’s Kettle Korn was born.
“He gave us a punch list down to the screws needed to put the booth and everything together,” she said. “He recommended everything down to the size of the tent and tables, but the recipe was the big thing.”
Some may hardly call it a recipe — popcorn, oil, sugar and salt — that’s it. But Neal said it’s the quality that sets her product apart.
“If you use cheap oil and cheap corn, it just won’t be the same,” said Neal. “I have never had anyone say my corn wasn’t superior, so not all kettle korn is alike, and that’s a fact.”
Neal heats the kernels, oil, and sugar in a propane-fired stainless-steel kettle. The sugar dissolves and coats each popped kernel, then hardens into a crispy candy shell that keeps the kettle korn fresh for two to three weeks. Salt is added and the kettle korn is bagged up and ready for sale.
Neal’s bright red and yellow booth is a mainstay at the Farmers’ Market in Hemming Plaza every Friday, although there she runs a one-man operation with prebagged kettle korn.
During the dozens of other local fairs and festivals, Neal employs the help of friends and family and cooks the corn fresh. She sets up an “aroma fan” behind the kettle to draw in customers, usually with dramatic results.
“That’s the first thing she noticed when we came here,” said Kylie’s mother Karen Van Benschoten. “She said, ‘it smells like popcorn,’ and she looked all over until she found the source.”
During the art festival, Neal received calls from loyal customers wondering whether she was a vendor there. If she wasn’t, they said they would’ve stayed home.
That kind of draw has spelled success for Neal, who after sinking more than $12,000 into a kettle, stand and various food and occupational licenses, plus even more for a car and trailer, began turning a profit in her second year.
Neal said her success is wholly determined by the weather, but sunny skies can often equate to thousands of dollars in income. During one Jazz Festival, Neal said she sold more than 750 pounds of boiled peanuts and brought in more than $10,000.
The profits can climb even higher with the kettle korn, which she said costs her roughly $1.50 per bag including ingredients, licenses and space rental. She sells the bags at $3 and $7.50.
“You could put kids through college with this business,” said Neal. “It’s very labor intensive, but if somebody really put their mind to it, they could do well.”
Neal said the business is a perfect complement to her work as a broker associate with Magnolia Properties. She often closes deals by cell phone while bagging up kettle korn on weekends.
“Right now, my income is about half and half between real estate and kettle korn,” said Neal. “But if real estate is down, I can beef up the kettle korn business and vice versa. Real estate for me is still doing good, so I’m not being as aggressive with the kettle korn as I could be.”
Neal said she turns down more vendor opportunities than she accepts, which is why it is surprising she hasn’t seen too much competition in her years in Jacksonville.
“I’ve never done a festival where there’s two kettle korn people, and I’ve only heard of a guy that comes in from out of town,” she said. “But I’ve always had the philosophy that there’s room for you to do what you want if you want it bad enough.”
Neal has further expanded her business to include a kettle korn delivery service for special events and occasions. She said she’ll start getting big orders in the next few months with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way.
“I’d like to keep doing it as long as I physically can,” she said. “I’ve been in real estate 25 years, and I’m a very people person and I enjoy the crowds, and this is another way for me to do that. Plus, I’m giving people the best snack around.”
For more information on Neal’s Kettle Korn or to order products, call 696-0705 or visit www.nealskettlekorn.com.