From a Yukon Farmers Market to Dragon's Den: How Klondike Kettle Corn Is Going National | Katie Young

Katie Young moved to Whitehorse, Yukon in 2007 for the adventure — dog sledding, mountains, and a winter practicum — and ended up building one of the North's most beloved CPG brands. 

In this episode, she sits down with Phil Chang and Kenny Vannucci to tell the full story of Klondike Kettle Corn: from taking over a popcorn kettle at the local farmers market, to testing packaging at Christmas markets, to landing on shelves and now pushing for national distribution.

It's a candid, funny, and genuinely useful conversation about what it actually takes to scale a food brand from one of the hardest logistics environments in Canada — where you can't grow the corn, shipping air isn't cheap, and there's exactly one Save-On-Foods and one Superstore in town.

In this episode:

• Growing a business and a family "up alongside each other" at the Whitehorse farmers market
• Why the Yukon is both the challenge AND the secret advantage (single-store markets, fierce local pride, built-in test population)
• The move from farmers market to retail: learning wholesale vs. retail pricing on the spot
• The Venture Park Accelerator, the Sobeys Local conversation, and "get into my competitor first, then come back"
• Landing TJX and going coast-to-coast fast — and why a Kamloops co-packer made it possible
• Filming Dragon's Den, the hometown watch party, and the e-commerce boost that followed
• The reality of the national grind: brokers, funding, and trusting-but-verifying your numbers

Whether you're a founder in a remote market, a CPG operator, or just love a great Canadian entrepreneur story, this one delivers.

Thank you to CHFA for sponsoring this episode. Make sure you're signed up for CHFA East! https://www.chfanow.ca/toronto

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