BY STEVEN STIEFEL
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Doug Long of Opelika turned his love of carnivals into a business producing kettle corn in various sweet and salty flavors to treat kids of all ages.
At 57, Long still cooks the old-fashioned way. He pours kernels into a large kettle, where sugar melts and caramelizes as the popcorn pops, creating a light, sweet coating that pairs with a salty bite. The result is a crunchy, slightly glazed treat that’s a step up from your usual butter-drenched movie popcorn.
Most people are more familiar with the movie popcorn, which consists mainly of butter and salt. In contrast, kettle corn doesn’t contain butter.
“You pop a little bit, and you get a lot,” Long said. “Say you buy an ice cream — you get one ice cream cone. You purchase a large bag of kettle corn, and it will provide you with an ample supply. You can take it home and enjoy it for a while. And it’s slightly addictive. You sit down to watch a movie or TV, and you’ve gone through half a bag before you realize it. So, it’s just, I think, the surprise of the sweet and salty. You get the best of both worlds.”
Kettle corn is typically found at fairs, festivals and farmers markets, where its unique aroma draws in crowds. In that environment, he befriended a couple operating as King’s Kettle Corn and helped them during his free time.
“I came from the fair and circus world. I sing, do ventriloquism and puppetry. I did a state and county puppet show in 2008. I only did three shows a day, so in my free time, I met a couple on the circuit and became really good friends with them. That was my introduction to kettle corn.”
Long said he’s “always had that entrepreneurial desire to do something, a little side hustle, side business and all.”
When his friends selling kettle corn retired, they sold their business and moved out of state. Years later, Long had the idea of making his own kettle corn.
“Why I waited years to try it myself, I have no idea. I came off the road in 2014. I just did this and that until last year. I served as music minister at my church for a while, but then COVID hit, and things just kind of took a dive,” Long said.
Until recently, he worked as a school custodian.
“In the meantime, I had that entrepreneurial urge to do a little side hustle. I called my friend and asked him, ‘What does it take to make kettle corn?’ Then I started. I didn’t have one of the big kettles. And I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just do it with a burner and a big pot. I’ll just start that way.’ I learned quickly you cannot cook it in a flat-bottom pot. It has to be a kettle that’s curved.”
While working to acquire a proper kettle, he started cooking pork rinds.
“That actually ended up very well, doing the two foods. I pre-cook the pork rinds because it takes 400-degree grease to make them. And even popcorn is about 400 or 500 degrees in your kettle. I pre-do all of it. If it’s a big event, I’ll do 30 or 50 bags. And when you sell them, when you’re out, you’re out. Usually, I’ll pre-pop the kettle corn to take it out,” he said. “Now, if I can, I’ll take the popper and do it at the event from my tent. That’s how I got into it, pretty much.”
He makes his products mostly from his home in Opelika and sets up at events with his red tent and signage.
“It has that circus feel to it, you know—just fun and family,” he said. His clients either book him for an event, where he encourages everyone to take a bag at no charge, or he sells bags individually.
Eventually, he wants to own a food truck.
With football returning and the holidays ahead, Long is entering his busiest season of the year.
“The biggest thing we do is fall festivals between now and Christmas — your little pop-up markets. I don’t do any circus or fair stuff because I don’t want to. I mean, I went as far north as upstate New York and as far west as Oklahoma. Now, I might go an hour away for an event, a Christmas thing or a festival.”
What makes his kettle corn special? “The novelty of the kettle corn,” he said. He rarely experiments beyond his basic formulas, although he occasionally gets requests for flavors like pumpkin spice. Most of his variety comes from coloring the kettle corn, which adds a distinctive touch — like Auburn or Alabama team colors — without affecting the taste. During Halloween, he may add the colors purple and green.
“Most people, especially my age, like the pork rinds. I do six different flavors. You’ve got what I call ‘naked,’ which doesn’t have anything on them — just in the grease and out of the grease. Then you have barbecue, spicy barbecue, salt and vinegar, and ranch. You’ve got several flavors to choose from, but they do as well as the kettle corn. One of the top flavors is dill pickle. I know that may sound strange, but a lot of people love the dill pickle. Ranch is another good one. I also do caramel, which is more like a glaze, not like Cracker Jacks, which are completely coated. You put it in the pot, and it just glazes over — not getting every piece but covering a lot of it. One of the top sellers is caramel green apple.”
The real challenge with cooking kettle corn is regulating the fire.
“I have an 80-quart popper. So that’s about six cups of kernels, and 24-ounces of oil. Then you pop them. You just have to go by experience and know when it’s time to dump it out of the oil. Usually, when your mind says dump, don’t second-guess it because it doesn’t take long. It may scorch some pieces, but you won’t ruin the whole batch. If you do scorch a little section, you can just scoop those out. The frustration is getting it to pop right. Humidity or rain can make regulating the process challenging sometimes,” he said. “Bag it pretty quickly to contain the sweet scent. It’ll last longer than letting it sit.”
The other major challenge he faced when I started a year ago was not having a trailer.
“I started out borrowing my nephew’s truck and taking the kettle inside.”
His advice to other entrepreneurs? Stick with it and expect to work hard.
“Don’t give up. Just keep going, even if you initially fail. No matter what happens or what kind of business it is, just keep at it,” he said.
Long said the real reward for his hard work comes when he sees a child light up with excitement upon receiving their bag of kettle corn.
“When you see a kid take a big bag and walk away from your stand, that’s why I’m doing it,” he said.
To place an order, contact Long by calling him at (334) 728-8308. Or visit his website at www.bigtopkettlecorn.com.
