“I was relieved in the sense that I didn’t have the everyday stress of the corporate world and the company that I was working for, so I was relieved to leave that toxic situation,” Goas said. “But I was also nervous thinking what if I fail at this or it doesn’t work? I have three girls, two of whom are still at home and depend on me.”
But according to Goas, she has always been a go-getter and was determined to pursue her dream.
“It was nerve-wracking, but I’ve always been headstrong, so failure is not an option,” Goas said.
Now, several months later, Goas has built a following for her homemade caramel corn and has branched out to include several new flavors for her business’s offerings, including cheese, peanut butter, and “Kracker Knax,” her own spin on the classic Cracker Jack popcorn.
“People love the Kracker Knax — the other day I had a gentleman call me who had picked up a couple bags of them,” Goas said. “And he said ‘I stopped at your booth and had to call you personally and tell you that as soon as I ate your product it brought me back to the ’50s when I was a kid and what Cracker Jack used to taste like.’ And I was crying over the phone hearing that because that was just so sweet.”
Kandie’s Korn is unique in that it is lighter and not as hard to chew as some of the other brands of caramel corn on the market, and because Goas makes each batch fresh to order.
“Quality is really important to me,” Goas said, “So I bake everything fresh to order, and I bake for all the tent sales usually the day before so everything is literally as fresh as possible.”
Goas currently operates out of her house, but her goal is to have her own storefront.
“I have a license through the state so I do it at home now, but eventually I would love to have a storefront,” Goas said. “I just need to increase my revenue enough to justify that.”
In addition to being at the Dawsonville Farmer’s Market and the Cumming Farmer’s Market every week, Goas sets up a pop-up tent off of Jot Em Down Road. She also offers online ordering and either ships her products or delivers if the customer is close.
“I ship throughout the United States, and then I do local delivery and local pick up for people that are in the area,” Goas said. “Any way I can get orders and sell it, I’ll do it.”
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