About Us
Dunc and Sarah
Kia ora, we're from Te Tai Tokerau Northland. More specifically, Whangarei (The Rei, Whangas, Dubcity). We are looking forward to our first summer season attending some of the events around the region.
Some brands have deep, inspiring origin stories… ours? We’re just little piggies who love kettle korn and can't get enough of it. On a trip to Raglan we smelled this incredible caramel coming from Big Poppa's. The smell got us, and we bought a big bag. Wasn't big enough, as it was gone by the time we got to Hamilton. We said, "OMG, we need to be making this." It was a research project on and off for the next two years. We bit the bullet, left our full-time jobs, bought a machine from the USA, and started Korn Lab!
Ferg
Otherwise known as Korn Dog, Ferg handles quality control and new flavour testing. He lines up at the pantry daily for his fix. Anyone with a staffy knows they’re greedy anyway, but Ferg has a real thing for the kettle corn.
(Dogs should sit this snack out in large quantities due to the sugar/salt content).
Crappiest Part
Most Unexpected
Getting up at 5 a.m. in the freezing cold rain and unloading cooking equipment under a gazebo that freezes your fingers putting it up.
Humidity. It's a killer for popcorn. Moisture in the air makes kettle korn chewy because the popcorn and sugar coating absorb moisture from the air, softening the crisp texture and replacing crunch with chewiness. We have to bag it REAL quick.
Other than the obvious — having the yummiest snack on tap — we love chatting with people. Two introverts, who would have thought?
After feeling a bit disillusioned with the world at times, it reminds you that most people are really good and everyone needs connection. Kettle korn is a great starting point for a chat. We love meeting new people, and chatting with the regulars.
Best Part of the Job
Constantly hearing, "This is the BEST popcorn we have ever eaten!" We knew kettle corn was good, but we didn’t expect such amazing reactions from adults. We always thought popcorn was more of a kid thing.
Just, just how expensive it is to set up and run a small business in New Zealand. Even selling popcorn! It has made us support small businesses more, and buy from the small guy.