Hampton native opens kettle corn, candy store in Mason City mall

The slogan for Chris Andersen's company sums up the experience shoppers can expect to find at his new store in the Southbridge Mall in Mason City.

The Hampton native this weekend will celebrate a soft opening for Chris’ Kettle Corn, a snack shop specializing in various flavors of Anderson's homemade kettle corn, dozens of varieties of Great American Popcorn Company offerings, artisan sodas, saltwater taffy and other treats.

Along with the mouth-watering treats comes the classic, tantalizing smell of kettle corn, which led Andersen to coin the phrase, “The Smell That Sells” for his creations.

On Saturday and Sunday, Andersen will officially open the doors to his new store to the public to allow shoppers to get a taste - and a whiff - of the sweet and salty snack he’s been making for his family business, Andersen’s Mar-ket, farmers’ markets and various events throughout the area for the past year and a half. The store will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Andersen the store will then celebrate a grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 8 before being open for good. Once open, hours will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays and closed on Mondays.

The success and response of the treat, along with a desire to bring classic candies to customers old and young, led Andersen to open the shop in the former GMC space in the mall.

“We kind of want to be known as the snack store,” he said. “It just seemed to be a cohesive thing to have the soda, the popcorn, the choco-lates and the candy.”

While Andersen is confident any shopper can find a snack that fits his or her own preference, his kettle corn varieties will be the star of the show. He said he plans to offer many hand crafted flavors such as the traditional recipe, caramel corn, regular buttered popcorn, raspberry and cinnamon.

Those flavors and recipes, he said, have been developed, tested and perfected in a converted warehouse in Mason City, where Andersen has the kettle cookers. Although Andersen has extended his craft to other flavors, he said he got his start with the traditional kettle corn flavor nearly a year and a half ago.

Andersen, along with his siblings, took over Andersen's Market after their moth-er retired. Looking for an additional way to contribute to the market’s operation, Andersen sought out avenues he could do individually while benefiting the family business. Kettle corn eventually stuck out to him because the market was offering the treat, but the costs associated with a third party vendor didn’t equate to an adequate profit margin.

What started as a way to help the family businesses, Andersen said, soon turned into a successful venture he realized could be extended throughout the community.

“I watched a whole bunch of YouTube videos and I thought, “You know, I could do that,’” he said. “So I spent a little bit of money, bought a kettle machine and all the equipment and started practicing through the winter and using all my friends and family as Guinea pigs.

“Suddenly, I found myself bagging it up and selling it at markets,” he added. “So I decided to try out an event and we did a farmers’ market in Clear Lake and we just killed it over there. That was just a great way to start out.”

His prowess and popularity in the kettle corn game eventually formed into a partnership with the Great Ameri-can Popcorn Company, out of Galena, Illinois, where Ander-sen markets the product to northern Iowa, southern Minnesota and everything in between.

The store will offer 30 to 40 flavors of the popcorn and the varieties will vary by season. He said the most popular offering company-wide is the Galena Mix, a combination of cheddar and caramel corn, while the local favorite is jalapeño cheddar. Several of the bags contain combinations of various flavors, but Ander-sen said half the fun of the gourmet popcorn is buying a few flavors and combining them for a personal concoction.

Andersen what shoppers will notice when they enter his store are shelves full of painstakingly crafted treats and drinks that carry vintage styles and modern flavors. What shoppers will also notice is an adequate selection of Iowa and regionally-based products. He said he locally sources products when he can. While local producers for items such as the craft sodas and taffy are more difficult to find, he jumps at the opportunity to put regionally made products on the shelves.

“Freshness is key,” he said. “If I could get everything from Iowa, I would. Supporting locally is key to me.”

The inherent desire to support local endeavors ex-tends beyond what Andersen offers in the store. He said aims to conduct fundraisers and contribute to local causes as a way to give back to those who have supported his product and made the dream of a storefront a reality. Along with special events and supporting causes, Chris’ Kettle Corn will also carry specialty bags of Great American Popcorn Company flavors crafted for certain high schools in the area. A portion of the proceeds from each bag sold will in turn benefit after-prom programs at the respective school.

Additionally, he offers packages and services for private events such as graduation parties and wedding receptions.

Andersen said he enjoys those opportunities to work with community organizations and individuals because of the value of support and working together. After his store opens, Andersen said his product will still be a staple at area markets and events, including a partnership with the newly opened ice arena and events center where Andersen will be the provider of the popcorn for events and hockey games.

Between the store and the events circuit, Andersen will pop an immeasurable amount of kernels but he can’t help but smile about the fact that viewing a series of YouTube videos has led to a career centered around kettle corn. He said the chance to be an entrepreneur is a bit like walking in the footsteps of his mother, who too was an entrepreneur with Andersen’s Market.

“I get that entrepreneurial spirit from my mom,” he said.