A taste of the good life with Mr. B’s Fun Foods

Reminiscent of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, except with cotton candy and various flavored popcorn, Mr. B’s Fun Foods is a family-owned small-town facility manufacturing for big names on the East Coast. 

At Mr. B’s Fun Foods, company president Craig Pittman, takes on the advisory role while his son, Nathan Pittman, serves as vice president and runs the day-to-day operations. 

Mr. B’s Fun Foods specializes in wholesale manufacturing of hand-spun cotton candy and assorted flavors of popcorn. The aroma of freshly popped popcorn and sweet cotton candy greets visitors at the door. 

Popcorn flavors include butter, cheese, hot cheese, caramel, and butter toffee. Cotton candy colors and flavors are pink (vanilla), purple (grape), and blue (blue raspberry). All products are made from in-house recipes. The popcorn is made in a traditional copper kettle and is stirred with a large wooden spatula. 

“The staple items that we do, we sell a lot of,” Craig said explaining why the company doesn’t veer from its niche items. 

According to Craig, fall and spring are the busiest times for the company, with a spike around Christmas.

“We’re in about 15 states, primarily on the East Coast,” Craig said.

According to Craig, 75% of the company’s business serves small, independent companies. Many customers are from outside North Carolina yet Mr. B’s maintains a strong presence in Burke County.

“We service nonprofit organizations and churches,” Craig stated. “Every year the company helps with the Special Olympics at Liberty Middle School. We donated popcorn for the Valdese summer concerts,” he added. “All of the local churches around come to get popcorn and cotton candy for their events.”

“We really try to plug in and be supportive in the community,” Craig said sincerely.

In order to support small businesses and local organizations, Mr. B’s does not require a minimum order for products.

“Small businesses working together is what we really like to be a part of,” he explained. “If we work together as small businesses, we can survive and help one another out, especially through these times.”

As a small business itself, the company consists of 10 to 12 employees, but this isn't your typical factory. Employees work in a temperature-controlled room with webs of cotton candy draped like spider webs on their aprons. 

Nathan, a former musician, has been alongside his father in the snack food business since he was a child. For Nathan, Mr. B’s Fun Foods was always a safe place that he could return to. When his music journey ended, he became fully engaged in the family business. 

“It was Nathan’s idea to put a Bible verse on the back of each bag,” Craig said, referring to the product packaging that includes a different verse on each bag.

In Morganton, you can find the fun treats at CoMMA Performing Arts Center and Abele’s Family Restaurant. The company does wholesale manufacturing for companies such as Merchants Distributors (MDI) in Hickory, Busch Gardens parks, Brim’s Snack Foods in Tennessee, and H.T. Hackney.

The turnaround time for shipping is 7 to 10 business days.

FUN FOODS HISTORY

Mr. B’s Fun Foods has deep roots in the movie theater business. James Kenneth Benfield, owner of Benfield Theaters, was considered a pioneer in the theater business in Burke County. According to Craig, he was a gold star member of the Motion Pictures Association. 

Benfield’s journey in the theater business began with drive-ins and movie theaters, but what’s a movie theater without popcorn? 

Benefield purchased a Connelly Springs building in 1977 to make popcorn for his theaters. Mr. B was his daughter’s nickname for Benfield. 

When the drive-in theater craze began to wane with the introduction of VHS tapes, Benfield sold his drive-in theaters to his employees, which left only the snack foods division under the corporate title.

Craig had a snack food business in Pennsylvania, where he manufactured cotton candy. In 2000, Craig sold his business and moved to King’s Mountain to pursue ministry. A bag of cotton candy piqued Craig’s interest, so he called the number on the back of the bag. 

Craig was eager to return to work and said Benfield had been praying for someone to come along. Craig met with Benefield in 2001.

“It gave me a job and a means of income so I could continue volunteering my time and not be a burden on the church,” Craig said.

In January 2007 as Benfield’s health started to decline, Craig purchased half of the company, sharing the other half with Benfield’s wife. Benfield passed away in December 2007.

In 2011, Benfield’s wife sold her half of the company to Craig. He reincorporated it to become Mr. B’s Fun Foods.  

“Ken wanted Mr. B’s Fun Foods to stay alive and well so that’s what I reincorporated as,” said Craig.

Craig has successfully kept the legacy of James Kenneth Benfield alive for the past 20 years with Mr. B’s Fun Foods. On your next theme park adventure at Busch Gardens, turn your bag of popcorn or cotton candy over to find Connelly Springs located on the packaging.