MANKATO, Minn. — The economy may be rough but you certainly wouldn’t know it if you walked into Mankato-based Angie’s Kettle Corn.
“We’re manufacturing 16 hours a day and we produce about 30-thousand bags a day, give or take,” says owner Dan Bastian.
The company, which started nine years ago in the Bastian’s garage, has certainly popped. They started selling their sweet and salty popcorn at fairs and festivals until they got a big break from the Minnesota Vikings.
“We did their training camp and then they asked us to come up and work with them on the plaza. That’s where we really developed a following and people started asking us where they could buy it after the season,” says Angie Bastian.
So Angie and Dan started popping, bagging and selling their corn in Lund’s and Byerly’s in 2004. Since then, the company has grown two-thousand percent, yes, two-thousand percent.
And, now, yet another expansion. Angie’s is moving into the Chicago market. They’ve already lined-up several stores to carry the kettle corn. It could soon lead to a national launch of Angie’s.
But, no matter how big Angie’s Kettle Corn gets, Dan and Angie say they will never forget their Minnesota roots.
“I don’t think we could have done what we’ve done anywhere else. Minnesotans have been so supportive,” says Angie.
View this KARE 11 News segment featuring Angie’s Kettle Corn: “Sweet Success – A Local Company Booming In This Salty Economy“.
