Our team members recently visited Creekstone KettleWorks in Raymond, where they were welcomed by owner Colleen and got an inside look at how a small-batch popcorn business operates from the ground up.
Colleen shared how the business started with a simple Craigslist find, a piece of popcorn equipment she spotted for sale and decided to act on. From there, she began selling at fairs and local events before recognizing that pre-packaged popcorn was one of the fastest growing segments in the snack industry. That insight led her to expand into wholesale, fundraising, and custom orders, building multiple revenue streams around a product people already love.
She walked team members through the 4 Ps of marketing, product, place, price, and promotion, and emphasized the importance of finding a product differentiator and pricing in a way that reflects both real and perceived value.
The visit also included a tour of the production area, where team members got a firsthand look at how the popcorn is made.
An important takeaway: being a CEO means wearing all the hats and doing all the jobs. CEO team members are grateful for her time, her honesty, and the reminder that great businesses are built one smart decision at a time.
