Athens now has a new option for those looking for a quick snack while going about their daily lives.
Mike Miletta, owner and operator of Kernel Crunch, a mobile and online popcorn business, recently set up shop in front of Schoonover over the summer.
“I’m a graphic designer, I’ve been a corporate designer in printing for about 20 years,” Miletta said. “I got introduced to gourmet popcorn about four or five years ago through a marketing company I was working for.”
The marketing company was selling the popcorn as a fundraiser and Miletta thought the idea would be simple enough for him to start his own business with.
Customers can buy Kernel Crunch popcorn at his trailer, on his website or in Jefferson Marketplace.
His trailer is open Wednesday through Saturday, in which he plans to open around 10 a.m. with the other food trucks along East Union Street to appeal to the lunch crowd. Then, Thursday through Friday Miletta plans to stay late, until 2 a.m.
“I saw a lot of activity that goes on here in the summer,” he said. “So, I did a couple weekends just to get a feel for things.”
Miletta is originally from Poland, Ohio and he travels to Zanesville where he is a member of Foodworks Alliance, which is a small business incubator for food-based businesses, he said.
“I have a ten gallon popper, a 10 gallon caramelizer and a couple of mixers,” he said. “I do popping, bagging and flavoring there.”
After he is finished with this process, he comes down to Athens to sell his product.
“I’m living kind of transient for these couple of months,” Miletta said. “I stay in either Happy Hills Campgrounds or a hotel.”
Some popular flavors include:
- Puppy chow $6.99: Chex cereal topped with caramel, milk chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar.
- Spicy buffalo ranch $5.99: Yellow cheddar melted and drizzled with ranch and hot pepper spices.
- Dark chocolate caramel sea salt $6.99: Dark chocolate and sea salt, melted and drizzled over a caramel base.
“People are starting to get used to it,” Miletta said. “Everybody’s trying a little bit of this, a little bit of that. It does take awhile for people to adjust to something that is new to their environment.”
The trailer has daily specials and customers can stop by anytime to sample a flavor before purchasing.
