east valley
Volume 4 Issue 11 Mesa, AZ
September 26, 2021
Mesa popcorn business a family project BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
P
IN THE BIZ
opcorn is a family affair for Michael and Ann Wilson. They bought What’s Poppin’ Kettle Corn, in 2019 and run the Mesa business with their son and daughter. “My son Brandon worked events with a gentleman who owned the kettle corn company,” said Ann Wilson, who still has a full-time IT job but pops corn on the weekends. “I saw this business and something clicked in my head that’s something I’d like to do,” she explained. “A few years later, the business came up for sale. The man offered it to my son so we bought it as a family. We’ve been going ever since and trying to keep busy.” Michael Wilson has no prior popcorn experience but, he said, “It looked fun. I don’t know what I liked about it but I thought, ‘I’d like to do that.’ It just all fell into place. I love doing it.” In addition to school events once in a while, the family primarily sells their kettle corn at farmers’ markets – mainly at Made with Love Market in Gilbert, at Mesa Arts Center and At the Ranch at Val Vista and Riggs in Gilbert. They’re also popping away at Main Street Harvest in downtown Mesa. In addition, the family does corporate events and travels around the state. They can do favors, popcorn bars, and personalized packaging. “We’re trying to spread out,” said WilPublic Notices ............... page 2 © Copyright, 2021 East Valley Tribune
Michael and Ann Wilson opened What’s Poppin ‘Kettle Corn two years ago in Mesa. (Melody Birkett/Tribune Contributor) (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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