We recently connected with Ryan and Don Cribb and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan and Don, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

We first got the idea of making kettle corn after stumbling upon a specialty popcorn shop in one of Florida’s tourist towns. Ryan, a popcorn connoisseur, asked if he could make and sell his own popcorn one day. Angelia (Ryan’s mom) and I looked at each other in the perfect “aha” moment and felt an overwhelming desire to help Ryan have a chance to succeed. So, in January 2022, Ryan’s Bee Sweet Kettle Corn was born; inspired by our founder Ryan Cribb, who is a 25 year old entrepreneur with Down’s syndrome. We had so much fun researching how to make authentic kettle corn (not just flavored popcorn), writing a business plan, creating the business name, and dreaming about the possibilities for Ryan and his new adventure.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Our mission is to provide a sweet experience for our customers by serving the highest quality, handcrafted kettle corn with creative flavors using superior equipment, quality ingredients, and memorable customer service. We also wanted to “grow where we’re planted” by serving our local community with heartfelt contributions and engagement with our hometown family. Ryan has challenges including verbal communication; but when he intends to say “let’s all love one another”, Ryan simplifies the phrase to “Be sweet” – which is how we finally named the business “Ryan’s Bee Sweet Kettle Corn”. What really makes our business unique of course is Ryan -plain and simple. His love for humanity is infectious; and he has a passion for popcorn. Down’s syndrome doesn’t stifle his desire to serve people with a quality product and customer engagement. When he’s not stirring the kettle, Ryan is cheering for his local high school student-athletes. He wanted the branding to reflect the blue and gold of Berkeley High School Stags. My proudest moment came when the Town of Moncks Corner honored Ryan with a ribbon cutting ceremony at his grand opening in the local farmers market. Friends and family surrounded Ryan’s cooking tent as the Mayor, County Supervisor, State Senator, and others welcomed Ryan to the business community. I’ve never seen Ryan so proud and excited.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Our business is still very much small and in a pilot phase. I still work a full time job while supporting Ryan’s business on weekends and Thursdays (local farmers market). As we grow clientele through farmers markets and events, more and more people asked if they could buy bags of our kettle corn for employee appreciation events, weddings, and graduation parties. We acquired the necessary licenses to make, bag, and label Ryan’s Bee Sweet Kettle Corn in local stores. The first was a family owned restaurant Music Man’s Barbeque. Customers would leave the restaurant and pick up a bag of kettle corn for dessert. Next, local campgrounds asked to sell our kettle corn at the camp stores. Campers love Ryan and his delicious snack!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Thanks to the support of our local community of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Ryan’s Bee Sweet Kettle Corn’s business has far exceeded our expectations; both in sales and joy. But we’re now nearing a pivotal point in our journey where we feel the need to take another step. I’m retiring from my “real job” of 32 years to focus on helping Ryan grow his business. We would like to move our operation from a shared kitchen (with a local restaurant) to our own building to ramp up production. This will allow us to expand our sales to other retail stores and open the door to ecommerce. Our plan is to continue our tradition of cooking “live” at the farmers markets and outdoor events using the mobile setup (kettle and tent), but we’re also excited about the potential of developing relationships with retail stores who actively support and raise awareness for individuals with disabilities and who want the best kettle corn in the country! We’re also excited about the potential in shipping all over the country. We have a lot to learn about ecommerce and creating a compelling marketing pitch to promote brand exposure, but the fun is in the journey – and in the poppin’ ! We hope that Ryan’s story will inspire other young adults with disabilities to continue chasing their dreams and that their communities will love and support them as much as Ryan’s community has loved and embraced him.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beesweetkettlecorn.com
• Instagram: beesweet_kettlecorn
• Facebook: Ryan’s Bee Sweet Kettle Corn