I spent over $7,000 to get my vending business going, selling cotton candy and popcorn at local and private events.
On the surface this seems like a LOT of money. And to be fair, I could’ve started out a lot slower and scaled up as time went on. But with the biggest event of the year happening a month after I ordered… I needed to make sure that I could keep up with demand.
Anyhow, I wanted to share a list of every single thing that I bought.
That way, you can cut down on time researching what you might need to start your own cotton candy / popcorn business!
The Machinery
Gold Medal Whirlwind Cotton Candy Machine
This is the most expensive thing on my list, coming in around $1,700 when I purchased it.
Cotton candy is a high margin business. You lose a lot more money by not being able to keep up with demand, then you do by having to throw some extra product away at the end.
The standard Whirlwind can make a serving of cotton candy in 12 seconds – or 5 a minute.
This was going to be my high-traffic machine, as well as what I’ll be using to prepack from a commercial kitchen – which charges by the hour.
One good event and this machine is already paid for.
I should note that I also bought a spare heat ribbon, as it’s one of the most commonly broken parts. Finally, I also bought the dome that goes over it for an extra $240.
Vivo Cotton Candy Machine + Dome
This is the cotton candy machine most people start out with. It is a workhorse, and honestly if you’re only doing small or private events, this one will definitely suit your needs.
So why did I buy it when I already have a Whirlwind?
First of all, the Vivo lets you do a different flavor each time, rather than having to bulk make several bags at once. At kids birthday parties for example, each kid may want a different flavor. With a VIVO, I can whip out any flavor right away.
It’s also lighter and less bulky than the Whirlwind, which makes it easier to transport. Again, I’ll take the Whirlwind if I need it, but if a smaller machine will more than suffice, that is fine!
Paragon Theater 8 Popcorn Machine
This was my popcorn machine of choice.
There are popcorn machines out there that will put out just as much popcorn, for a much cheaper price. For example, the Carnival King PM850 is only $189.99, vs the Paragon’s $629.
So why choose the Paragon?
It came down to durability, repairability, and ease of cleaning. Paragon is much better about having parts available to fix machines, they’re made in the USA, and just seem to be less likely to break based on other people’s experiences.
It’s also easier to clean, which will help when switching flavors, or wanting to make kettle corn.
Atmovac KS-300 12″ Manual Impulse Bag Sealer
This bag sealer is used to heat-seal both cotton candy and popcorn bags.
I opted for this vs. twist ties to keep the food fresh longer.
Westinghouse 5000 Generator
Picking a generator was tricky, because I didn’t know a lot about them.
I chose this generator specifically because it was respectful to guests and other vendors.
It’s an invertor generator, making it very quiet compared to other generators. It also supports propane, which puts off less fumes (and who wants those around food anyway?)
Because I’m running two powerful machines at the same time, I needed something that supported 5000 watts. If you are only running one machine, you may be able to get away with a much smaller generator.
ToLife Dehumidifier
A simple dehumidifer to help cotton candy last longer. It stays in the commercial kitchen we rent, as we don’t make any cotton candy at home (except to practice.)
Magic Mill Pro Food Dehydrator Machine
I use this when making my own custom flavors. I add dye and flavor extract, which can make the sugar wet. Popping them into a dehydrator fixes this, and helps it spin better. This isn’t necessary if you aren’t making your own flavors.
The Flavors
Gold Medal Flossugar
Gold medal sells premade flossugar that is ready to use. They also sell flossine, which is a flavor concentrate that you mix with your own sugar.
I opted to buy flossugar for the most popular flavors – pink and blue, first, so I could see how my mixing of flossine would compare.
I also bought flossugar for flavors where flossine was not available, like chocolate.
Katom was the cheapest place for me to find flossugar, since they allow free shipping with orders over $500.
Gold Medal Flossine
To rapidly expand my number of flavors – and get the materials much cheaper, I also ordered over a dozen containers of flossine.
I ordered one of each flavor that Katom offered, and then an extra 2 of the blue and pink as well.
White Hulless Popcorn Kernels
Moving into popcorn territory, we have to start with the kernels!
I opted for white hulless popcorn form Amish County Popcorn.
Yes, these kernels are more expensive. But I have a stomach condition called gastroparesis, and hulless are both easier on the stomach, AND on your teeth.
It’s a tiny little quality bump that didn’t really cost that much extra, but means the world of difference to people like me.
Flavacol
Flavacol is the secret ingredient behind ‘movie theater’ popcorn.
It is a powder you put into the kettle along with the oil and kernels. It melts, and then covers the popcorn equally with delicious butter flavor.
A little of this goes a long way – you likely won’t need to order a ton of it.
Additional Popcorn Flavorings
To expand beyond just regular popcorn, I also bought flavorings for cheese, ranch, and kettle corn.
LouAna Coconut Oil
Finally, I bought a lot of coconut oil to use with my popcorn machine. It’s a necessity!
The Booth
Booth design matters a lot, and this is an area where I’m still looking to improve. Here’s what I’ve ordered so far. Note that I already own a table and tent, weights to hold it down etc, so they aren’t listed here.
Bright Pink Tablecloth
An attention getter, and helps demonstrate what we sell. Something recognizable like this also helps in large events – people can simply tell others “look out for the booth with the pink table.”
Cotton Candy And Popcorn Flags
One for cotton candy, one for popcorn. We strap it to our booth tent so they’re high up in the air. They are 8 feet tall normally, so this really helps!
Cotton Candy Tray
A simple try that can hold cones that you’ve spun live. I’ll admit, I haven’t used this yet, but it will add some visual appeal if you’re spinning cones live at your event.
3, 100ft Extension Cords
Two of them are quite heavy duty and were needed to power both the Whirlwind and the Popcorn maker at the same time, without surges.
The last one also runs to the generator, but is used to power little things like lights, our Square reader, cell phone charging, etc.
Surge Protector
I’ll be glad I have this if it’s ever needed.
LED Light Board
Like a regular blackboard you’d write on with markers, only with LEDs! This will keep the sign readable at night, for events where this is important.
Legal Requirements
To comply with our local regulations and keep everyone safe, I also purchased a first aid kit, aprons, disposable food gloves, a handwashing station, a bucket to capture old water, and table / surface cleaner.
Many health inspectors will look to make sure that you’re staying hygienic and complying with all local food handling laws. If you aren’t, you can be fined, or have your product seized. No fun!
Labels
For right now, I’m just using Avery label sheets to bulk-print labels.
These are required if you are prepackaging beforehand, and not spinning or popping live. In some areas, they may be required anyway – always check with your local government to make sure you’re doing everything legally.
Packaging And Supplies
Just as important as any other category, a lot of thought went into the packaging and supplies needed to actually give the food to the customer.
Carnival King Cotton Candy Bags
Classic plain ones. Thick enough to store cotton candy in them if I need to, for several days before the event. Ordered in 11.5 x 18.5 inches.
Popcorn Bags
I really struggled for sizing on these, since I’m only interested in offering one size of popcorn right now. Ultimately I opted for Choice 8″ x 4″ x 15″ 3 Mil, as these were also thick enough to prepackage if properly heat-sealed.
Plain Disposable Cones
For spinning cones live. These are really cheap – about 3 cents each, and there are times I’d prefer to hand out cones vs. bags – like charity events or birthday parties. Cones vs bags is a personal decision, but this is what I’ve decided works best for me.
Small, 1oz Popcorn Bags
Like the cones, these will be best for private ‘all you can eat’ events, or giving popcorn away for free.
Scoops
I ordered 2 more scoops to help put popcorn into bags, and sugar into cotton candy machines. Always have a backup on hand – they’re cheap!
Twist Ties
Although I prefer to heat seal bags, I picked up a couple thousand twist ties just in case – they were like $5.
Miscellaneous
Finally, let’s look at some of the other items I bought that didn’t fit into any other category.
TIMBER RIDGE 400L Double Decker Wagon
A huge wagon with two different levels in it. For large events where we’re allowed to walk around and vend, this will allow me to carry a lot of product with me while somebody else watches the booth.
Kettle Cleaner
To keep the popcorn machine clean and making perfect popcorn every time. Will be especially useful since I also want to pop kettle corn, and regular popcorn without the butter flavacol added.
Square Reader
This is so I can take cards, generate automatic sales reports, aid with bookkeeping, and so much more.
You will lose at least 30% of your customers by not accepting cards, and this number could actually be 50% or more in some areas.
A square reader accepts pretty much all cards, as well as tap-to-pay options like Apple Pay and Google Pay!
Conclusion
It turns out, there’s a lot that goes into selling cotton candy and popcorn!
The machines are the obvious thing, but nobody really thinks about a sign, or kettle cleaner, or a dehumidifier. Until you realize you need it, of course.
I hope this list has give you a better idea on what you need to start your cotton candy business.
If you have any questions, ask them below and I’ll be happy to help!
– James McAllister