Gourmet popcorn market stall

Market shoppers, families at events, festival visitors and people buying gift bags.

Sales of bags and tubs at different sizes, plus gift tins and bulk orders for events. Popcorn has low ingredient costs, so margins per bag can be healthy.

• Cooking and flavour testing
• Friendly selling face to face
• Planning stock for each event

• Food premises approval and a food handler certificate, check with your local public health unit
• Commercial general liability insurance, which many markets require
• Labelling rules, including allergens (nuts, dairy) and bilingual labels in some cases, check with the CFIA
• Winter slowdown for outdoor markets, plan indoor events and holiday gift sales
• GST/HST registration once sales pass the small supplier threshold

Startup costs are typically around $1,500 to $6,000, depending on your equipment, stall set-up, kitchen access and first batch of ingredients and packaging. These are estimates, so get quotes for your own situation before you commit.

Monthly revenue is typically around $600 to $3,500, depending on how many markets and events you attend and your flavours and pricing. Outdoor markets often slow in winter, so plan indoor events and holiday gift sales. These are estimates.

Things to check: food premises approval and a food handler certificate with your local public health unit, insurance (many markets require liability cover), CFIA labelling and allergen rules, and GST/HST registration once sales pass the small supplier threshold.