Today we’d like to introduce you to Shalundria Jeanine Holden.
Shalundria, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I made my first batch of caramel popcorn for Christmas a few years ago. I found a recipe for it in a cookbook and decided to give it a try. It was so good! So, I started making it to give as gifts. My daughter Rachel was a big fan, as were her soccer teammates who I’d also make it for sometimes. (Go Mean Green!) I made popcorn for my aunt to give as gifts to some of her healthcare workers. The woman she gave the popcorn to would always tell her, “Let your niece know that if she ever goes into business selling popcorn, we’ll buy it!” I was happy that they liked it, but had no real interest in starting a business- at all. My family was also encouraging me to start selling it, but it seemed like too much work, and really, why would anyone buy popcorn from me?
My husband’s cousin and his wife came for a visit early in 2018, I think. What I remembered most about that visit were the stories they told our family about an event center they once had in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina. We were sitting around the table laughing, and it struck me that even though the business didn’t make it, here they were looking back on it with such a great attitude. Not only that, as I looked around the table and thought about my family, I realized I was in a family full of entrepreneurs! My parents had owned a successful bakery for years in the Dallas area (Scratch Bake Bakery), my youngest brother Adrian had recently started his own bakery business (Dubalicious Cupcakes), another brother, Jason and his wife had each started businesses in FL, not to mention the cousins who had come to visit and another of my husband’s cousins in the Houston area. My husband Joe had always wanted to start a business, but until that day, I had always resisted the idea.
I really felt that the Lord was telling me that I should give it a try and leave the results to Him. In other words, don’t be afraid to try! Since my brother Adrian had started his business in 2016, I had some idea of the basics it would take to get up and running. As soon as I mentioned the idea of selling caramel popcorn, my family was behind me and excited to see me take this step of faith.
I sold the first bags on Good Friday 2018, to one my aunt Dana’s healthcare workers, Terri– the same one who’d said years before that if I started selling it, she’d buy it. I got five bags out of that batch. When I went to deliver her two bags, I took an extra one with me, thinking maybe someone else in the office would want it. She wanted it. Not only that, hours later she called my aunt and asked if I had anymore and she bought those bags as well!! I was so thankful- giddy, actually- for the Lord’s confirmation and her support!
Mama-Ella’s is named after my grandmothers. Everyone called my dad’s mom, “Mama,” and Ella was my mom’s mom’s first name. They are both deceased, but I think they’d be just as excited about this venture as the rest of my family.
We mainly sell our popcorn at local farmers’ markets and other events from time to time. We are currently part of the Arlington Foodies Farmers Market every 4th Saturday and are looking forward to the markets that will resume in the spring, like the Mansfield TX Farmers’ Market. Joe and I enjoy getting out and meeting the people who come to the markets, as well as the other vendors.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yeah, no. I hate to waste money. I get so frustrated with myself for making mistakes. For instance, when we first started, I ordered business cards, a banner, and stickers, all with a logo that I made from an image I found online. I didn’t realize that I wasn’t supposed to be using it for business purposes. So I had to throw all of it away and start over. I love my new (legit) logo – thanks to Ari Raphiel for his great work! Joe was right there to encourage me. It was also hard at first when we started selling at markets getting people to buy it. One of the vendors next to us suggested we have samples. That was really great advice! Rarely, do people walk away without buying a bag once they’ve tasted it.
Please tell us about your business.
Besides the original Caramel popcorn, we now have several other flavors: Caramel Pecan, Apple Cinnamon, Orange Cranberry, Maple Pecan, Gingerbread, Peach Cobbler, Pineapple Coconut and Raspberry Lemonade. Every flavor, every batch is homemade, without any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. All of our fruit flavors are made with real fruit. We make our popcorn fresh for each market/event. If you plan on coming out to a market, we encourage you to contact us ahead of time, especially if you want a certain flavor or several bags, to make sure we don’t run out before you get there!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Prayer for the Lord’s favor and help; having a consistent, quality product and face to face interactions with our customers. Also, having lots of willing taste-testers is great!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 972-227-2336
- Email: mepopcornkitchen@gmail.com
- Instagram: @mepopcornkitchen
- Facebook: @mamaellaspopcorn
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