3 Monkeys Kettle Corn
Since jumping into our consciousness when it was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2025 OFPA, 3 Monkeys Kettle Corn has become a favourite in our home! Locally grown corn, which has been hand-cooked and packed is a revelation - the flavour and freshness are unlike anything else!
We find Donna-Marie and Aaron Carr on a Tuesday afternoon in a scene that will feel achingly familiar to all the local producers and business owners reading this. They're at home, hand-labelling hundreds of packages to meet a new order. "The stress of small business syndrome," laughs Donna-Marie, "you know?"
3 Monkeys Kettle Corn was conceived out of equal parts serendipity and necessity, a recipe that helped them towards a Gold Medal at this year's Outstanding New Zealand Food Producer Awards.
"I guess where it started," recalls Donna-Marie. "I had a concussion. I was managing a team of people—a branch manager—it was my fourth concussion, and I just could not do life as I knew it anymore."
It was during this convalescence, stepping away from the life she knew, that Donna-Marie first stumbled upon a new life entirely.
Attending a local market with her daughter Georgie, is when she first came across the magic of kettle corn. 'The smell, the energy, the vibe. People were lining up for it,' Donna-Marie explains. They were instantly hooked, echoing an experience that many of their own customers describe to them today.
The pair returned home to an unsuspecting husband and father. "Oh my God" were Aaron's first words. Convincing the General Manager of a national auto electrical company to hop into the kettle corn trade was not an easy sell.
Like many of our award-winning producers, what was supposed to be a weekend side-hustle has grown into a full-time, family affair, with Aaron eventually leaving his role as GM. Yet, the motivation behind 3 Monkeys was never to take over the world in a day. In fact, the name itself is a nod toward the Carr's true priority.
The husband and wife team balance owning and operating a business that serves over fifty outlets nationwide, plus weekly market appearances, with the beautiful challenge of raising three monkeys at home. Their three girls include two twins, one of whom, Indie, suffers from the little-known, yet seriously debilitating condition of Topical Steroid Withdrawal.
"It changes everyone's world," explains Donna-Marie, "it's just horrendous, worse than a nightmare. We couldn't work for other people anyway. We were always needing time off, so we developed this around her and me."
And although the business is now popping off, with the need for a dedicated commercial premise on the horizon, getting to this point was, to adopt Aaron's technical phrasing as a former GM, "Really f***ing hard." Yet, not a single corner has been cut on their journey here.
A key ingredient to their success is, of course, their ingredients. 3 Monkeys source their corn directly from the field—utilising a gluten and GMO-free certified Hawke's Bay grower who aligns his harvest to 3 Monkeys' needs. Where others may opt for bulk imported canola oil, 3 Monkeys uses pure rapeseed canola sourced from the South Island. 'Premium' has been the philosophy since the pair ventured out on their own, and pivoting toward artisanship satisfies the Carrs as much as their customers.
"Premium product, premium oil, premium bags," affirms Aaron. And Donna-Marie concurs, "Everything just right. To be authentic."
"When you're [making kettle corn], as boring as that sounds," explains Aaron, "you've only got corn, sugar, oil and salt. It's got to be the best."
This ethos allows 3 Monkeys to provide a healthier product that's better for both people and the environment. To remain "authentic to both the customers and themselves," the Carrs employ reusable bags that customers can bring back to market days for a discounted refill.
"The really rewarding thing," explains Aaron, "is that because the product has been so well received, when you're exhausted but gotta do another thirty or forty cooks in a day, you just get on with it. People always come and comment lines like 'I'm so happy you're here today.'"
"People drive miles because they see on Facebook that we're at a particular event," adds Donna-Marie gratefully. This includes customers voyaging from as far as Auckland to Waihi to get their kettle corn fix. "We're blown away by that."
If it's not clear by now, we're not talking about any old popcorn. Of course, we're not talking about popcorn at all. Kettle corn differs from its more ordinary cousin the way eye fillet differs from rump, and 3 Monkeys is certainly the Wagyu of the popping world. What makes the difference? It's cooked in a large kettle, which yields higher temperatures faster. The faster the pop, the fresher the product. "You can't beat it fresh off the kettle," assures Donna-Marie.
And you can't beat a local business built from the ground up. Every detail, down to the cheeky monkeys in the logo—hand-drawn by a close family friend to the Carrs—has been kept grassroots. Local youngsters are offered a first taste of working life, lending a hand with those torturous labelling sessions. Seven-year-old Georgie—Indie's twin—who has also battled more than her fair share of health conditions, has caught the bug for market days. A natural retailer, she is happy pleasing customers, running EFTPOS and making sales while dad sweats over the kettle out back.
Although wholesaling now dominates their revenue streams, such markets remain sacred to the Carrs. They’re a weekly chance to engage with their devotees and build lasting rapport. The pair also find great satisfaction in being part of the tight-knit Kiwi food business community. In connecting with other family businesses, hearing their stories, connecting with other people, "going through the mahi, the hard mahi."
"It's the very first customers," Aaron expands, "The Farros, The Green Grocer in Thames, Red Kitchen, who were really loyal to us." If there's one message the pair would like to get across, it's a big thank you to all of them.
Coming from corporate backgrounds, they are not partial to "standing still", and they have the expertise to back up their passion for a business that has allowed them to care for their three monkeys, as well as provide Donna-Marie a new lease on life. Although many of the same challenges linger, they now shift their gaze toward reaching the brand's potential. This comes as Madi, Indie and Georgie begin to make their own strides, perhaps only akin to the leaps and bounds 3 Monkeys, the business, is taking.
"Sometimes we think we're in the thick of it," reflects Donna-Marie, "when it feels a bit much, when we live and breathe it, we have to sit back and think 'Hey, this is really cool, we're doing well.'"
"Celebrate your wins," adds Aaron.
"We have to pinch ourselves at how far we’ve come—as we celebrate the end of our second year", concludes Donna-Marie.
If you would like to experience that 'fresh off the kettle' flavour, you'll need to look out for the iconic 3 Monkeys caravan, or their funky marquee, at one of the many markets they serve up and down New Zealand. Alternatively, you can shop their delicious, premium kettle corn range on their website.