Introduction
In honor of August being National Black Business Month, we wanted to acknowledge some of the most successful Black business owners in New Haven County. Today, we recognize Robbin Jackson, the owner of Nutmeg Kettlecorn.
The college final that started it all
On May 18th, 1995, Ruth C. Ford graduated from Albertus Magnus College with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Economics. What Ruth didn’t know was that her final college paper, written on the history of popcorn, would pave the way for her daughter’s future business, and would help define her very own legacy.
In 2014, Ruth sadly passed from kidney failure. Determined to keep her mother’s legacy alive, her daughter Robbin used some of Ruth’s life savings to develop a business in her memory: Nutmeg Kettlecorn.
Bringing Nutmeg Kettlecorn to life
Robbin’s husband, Herb Jackson, was tasked with developing the kettle corn into a mouth-watering recipe. Once he had it perfected, they began selling their product. They started small at first- operating out of tents at fairs and other pop-up locations. However, the constant travel became expensive, and Robbin and Herb decided it was time to find a place to open a brick-and-mortar store, leading them to their current location in Wallingford, CT. The renovations began in 2019, but COVID-19 halted the process. By the end of 2022, the store was finally complete. Robbin soft-launched Nutmeg Kettlecorn in March of this year and celebrated a hard launch on June 4th- Ruth’s birthday.
Nutmeg Kettlecorn today
Today, Nutmeg Kettlecorn is known for its lively atmosphere and quality kettle corn, which is hand-stirred, gluten-free, and preservative-free. To this day, Herb continues to make all the kettle corn himself, despite also working as a realtor.
Nutmeg Kettlecorn offers a wide variety of flavors such as Caramel, Strawberry, Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, Pink Cherry, and even more unique flavors such as Fireball. Customers can make custom bags or choose from an array of pre-mixed options, such as the “Cloudy Sky Mix”- a combination of the flavors Salty Sweet and Blue Raspberry. They also sell custom gift baskets for various events, including weddings.
In addition to kettle corn, Nutmeg Kettlecorn has other products to satisfy your inner sweet tooth. Robbin offers drinks, chocolate, and even serves Sweet Claude’s Ice Cream– a business known for selling some of the best homemade ice cream in CT since 1988.
Inspiring others
While Robbin credits her success to her mother’s heavenly guidance, she also leaves our students with valuable lessons. When asked to share advice with our Falcons about entrepreneurship, Robbin exclaimed:
“To inspire young Black people, and young people period, to start their own business it takes creating a good plan, deciding what would be a good product or service, and research. If you don’t know how to do a business plan, take a couple of courses. You don’t have to know everything, but look in the right spots that will assist you in creating an excellent plan. If you don’t have a roadmap, how will you know where to go?”
Robbin also reflected on what is important as a young entrepreneur, sharing:
“The best thing to do as a young entrepreneur is to always believe in yourself, find the right information to assist you, never give up, and be kind to others. Bless others as you would have them to bless you. It leads me to thanking Albertus Magnus because my mother is an alumna, and she’s the very inspiration and core of this business. She waited her entire life to have the education that she always wanted. I am so thankful to Albertus Magnus College for honoring her with that degree, and we will continue to honor her through this business.”
Conclusion
We are so proud of Robbin for not only her success as a Black business owner, but her ability to keep Ruth’s memory alive through Nutmeg Kettlecorn. If you are interested in trying Robbin’s kettle corn, you can visit her at 2 Chapel Street, Suite 6, in Wallingford, CT. We’re sure you’ll love it just as much as we do.
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Albertus Magnus College
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Nutmeg Kettlecorn
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Sweet Claude’s Ice Cream
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