“When we give, it also helps business”

By Brenna Duperron,
Postmedia News 

Company: HevyD’s Old Fashioned Kettle Korn
Employees: 30
Firm philosophy: It’s all about the relationship
Customer comment: ‘Brings me back to my childhood days at the fair’ — Danielle Turenne

The labelling on the bags of HevyD’s Old Fashioned Kettle Korn will tell you that it is packed with goodness.
But that’s only half the story.
“Virtually every bag of kettle corn that leaves our plant has a charity component attached to it,” said Barry Stecyk, a mental health nurse turned entrepreneur and now the president of HevyD’s Old Fashioned Kettle Korn, based in Vernon.
From the Canadian Armed Forces to the victims of the Haitian earthquake and struggling local musicians, Stecyk and his company are involved in raising funds and creating awareness for some 50 worthwhile causes.
“When we give, it also helps business,” said Stecyk, whose latest effort is building a web-based musical tribute to fallen soldiers in Afghanistan; a project that has already attracted some big names in the music industry.
“We have developed a cult following with 100,000 hits on our website and countless emails ... our charitable efforts have helped our kettle-corn business and we are growing at a rapid pace,” said Stecyk, a father of two whose small-town snack food has found its way to the shelves of national grocery chains and convenience stores.
After three years of criss-crossing the country to persuade grocery giants and distributors to carry HevyD’s, the company today is experiencing a growth spurt largely due to Stecyk’s philosophy of marrying his company with his love of charity.
“It’s all about doing the right thing at the right time. We always remember where we come from. There have been times when we’ve been seconds away from bankruptcy. So, when we can, it’s important to give back on a local and national level,” Stecyk said.
“It’s all about helping people help people,” Stecyk explains. “I listen to what people want and I solve problems. I help them and they help me.”
This bedside manner take on business was developed in Stecyk’s previous career as a nurse. He took the health mandates he learned in mental health nursing and moulded them to fit the snack food industry.
Free from preservatives, MSG or other chemicals, HevyD’s Old Fashioned Kettle Korn is on B.C.’s Brand Name Food List that allows it to be sold in schools and public buildings.
“Our original recipe met the standards right from the start. We didn’t have to change a thing,” boasts Stecyk.
The recipe was created by Stecyk’s brother-in-law, Darren Hickson, who is HevyD himself. Fans now are flocking to it from all over the world.
“There was a woman who bought a bag at the Vancouver airport and ate it on her plane ride to Kuala Lumpur. As soon as she got home, she contacted us about starting a franchise in Malaysia,” recalls Stecyk.
Comments like this have prompted Stecyk to explore the taste buds of different ethnic groups through the incorporation of some original flavours into his business. The Asian and Indian markets can look forward to the incorporation of spicy cheddar, shrimp and masala into HevyD’s lineup in the near future.
“Popcorn and charity isn’t foreign to anyone. Our ambition is to be a global company with charity and good taste as the basis of good business,” said Stecyk.