Joel House wipes down his cast iron kettle at a festival. Joel House, who has lived just outside of Pepin since September, runs a kettle corn business at festivals aside from his regular career. He took over the business from a friend 13 years ago, and said he enjoys it due to the physical, hands-on aspects of making the simple snack food.

Man finds business in providing fair food favorite

It's sort of like being on stage," he said. "I get to share my experience with people, and I enjoy being able to do this with my wife and 11-year-old daughter."

 

Originally from Rochester, a Pepin man has been in the kettle corn business for 13 years.

Joel House moved to Pepin in September, and got married in October. He resides just north of Pepin, and owns the Kettle Korn House.

"I bought it as a turn-key business," House said. "I was living in La Crosse at the time, and friends of mine had run the business for seven years prior."

When the business started, the kettle was made for a lumberjacking festival in the early 1990s.

"My friends were in that festival, and when it ended, they started a mobile kettle corn business," he said. "They exclusively attended county fairs, and that's how I started out."

When House took over, he just assumed his friends' previous route. 

"I started to do small festivals, private parties, corporate events, bar mitzvahs, weddings, and just a wide variety of events," he said. "This is my first summer not doing county fairs."

House said he had scheduling conflicts that prevented him from attending county fairs this year.

Aside from his kettle corn business, House works full-time as a cafe manager for the Red Wing Shoe corporate cafe, so his schedule is full.

House does events in central and northeastern Wisconsin, and said he is trying to stay closer to home. He was at the Blues on the Chippewa festival earlier this month, and plans to set up at the Pepin County Fair next year.

House said he still does a few far-flung events, and was west of Rochester last weekend. This weekend, he'll be in Port Washington, north of Milwaukee. September 2 he will go to Duluth, and Labor Day weekend House will be set up in Alma.

House said he typically goes to between 10 and 15 events over the summer, and also does a couple in the winter. 

"I didn't know anything about kettle corn prior to meeting my friends who had the business," he said. "As a kid, I enjoyed fairs and festivals, so being a vendor sounded like fun."

House said he helped his friend at the Dodge County Fair, and enjoyed being a part of it.

"About that time, he was ready to sell his business," he said.

House has a Master's Degree, and is a trained sculptor.

"I'm still actively making art, and trying to find a way to make money that still gives me time to do my own art," he said."I like the physical process of making kettle corn. As a sculptor and hands-on person, I really appreciate that part of it."

Before traveling to events, House stocks up on his food supplies: popcorn, canola oil, sugar, and salt. He travels with a trailer with his equipment, and sets up a 10' by 10' canopy. 

After arrival, House said it takes him two hours to be ready to pop corn. 

"It's a labor-intense process," he said. 

House's kettle is unique, as it is cast-iron as opposed to the popular stainless steel kettles, which are lighter and larger. He uses propane for a fuel source for the heat.

"Once the kettle is hot, it takes four to five minutes for fresh kettle corn," he said. "In the process of popping, I stir the corn with a wooden paddle. When it starts to pop, I add a mixture of sugar and salt, and stir it vigourously to prevent burning."

When the corn is fully popped, House dumps it into a receiving bin with a screen sifter to get rid of the unpopped kernals, then scoops the corn into bags and twist-ties them closed. He then sells the bags in three sizes.

Originally, the business was themed to fit the lumberjack festival, and House said his friends continued that theme.

"I've changed it to a more contemporary style to suit my style," he said. "While the appearance of the stand has changed, the popper is the same, and the recipe is the same."

Over the years, House said he thinks more people know about and expect kettle corn to be at events. 

"It's become a popular and mainstream snack," he said. "There's greater demand, but also more competition."

House said at first, it wasn't difficult to find events without a kettle corn vendor, but now, most do.

The most corn House has ever gone through was at the Dodge County Fair in Beaver Dam.

"I went through 450 pounds of corn," he said. "At a typical three-day event, I bring 150 pounds."

House said he topped his single-day sales record by a sizable amount this past weekend in Kasson, Minn.

While House currently buys his supplies through a retailer, he said he'd like to find a local source.

"I'd also like to find someone to source organic popcorn from," he said. "I've worked with a Wisconsin grower in the past, Wisconsin Gold Harvest, and I'll be using their corn in Port Washington."

As for being the owner of the business, House said he enjoys being the sole proprietor. 

"I decide how to run the business, where to go, and I have the ability to make decisions both on the fly and for the future," he said. "I also appreciate the simplicity of using just four ingredients for one product. I keep it simple, and really enjoy the interaction with the public."

House said people not only come to buy corn, but are interested in the process.

"It's sort of like being on stage," he said. "I get to share my experience with people, and I enjoy being able to do this with my wife and 11-year-old daughter."

House said he likes being able to include his family. His friends and dad help him on a regular basis.

"It's an opportunity to get away and be with my friends and family, and a nice supplement for my regular income," he said.

The aspect of making small-batch, hand-crafted kettle corn is also something House appeciates.

"The kettle itself adds a seasoned flavor to the corn," he said. 

This summer, House has been supplying kettle corn to Camp Pepin.

"They found me through the Stockholm Farmer's Market and wanted local, healthier snacks for the kids," he said. "It was really cool, because the first week I supplied them was the week my daughter attended camp."

The Kettle Korn House can be found on Facebook.

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