After being laid off from a 30‑year career in banking, Lisa Hudson used a family recipe and years of informal gift‑giving to launch a new business. In January 2011 she moved from making caramel corn for friends and relatives to opening LJ’s Gourmet Caramel Corn, operating out of a commercial kitchen and selling at farmers’ markets and City of Mesa events.
Mesa entrepreneur showcases two bags of her gourmet popcorn at a local market, part of her pop‑up gourmet business.
Hudson’s early retail exposure included seasonal work around spring training. “When spring training at Sloan Park first opened up for the Cubs, I was in there for two or three years on their beer carts,” she recalled, describing how the stadium crowds helped introduce her product to a wider audience. She also pursued wholesale and retail opportunities through business‑to‑business events, attending a Local First Arizona meeting that led to a breakthrough with a regional grocery chain.
That Local First Arizona connection culminated in an invitation to place her popcorn in the Bashas’ family of stores. She was selected to appear in all 11 Bashas’ locations in August 2012, and by November of that year her product was on shelves in the AJs stores as well. During an in‑store demonstration at a Chandler location near the company’s corporate office she met the late Eddie Basha, who happened to be shopping that day. “He happened to be in there shopping and he was just joking around and laughing with my husband…He was just a lovely man,” Hudson said of the encounter.
Hudson currently offers two varieties: a straight caramel corn and a caramel pecan corn. The pecan product is the signature item. “That is my signature,” she said, explaining that the pecans are roasted and caramel‑coated, then dusted so that they retain a natural appearance. "When you see it, it doesn’t look like there’s anything on it. It just looks like a regular pecan. You can taste it, and it’s semi‑sweet. The more you eat, the sweeter it becomes, but it’s not candied or sticky. It’s not a praline, so people tend to really like that."
Her choice of pecans is deliberate: Hudson said other nuts tend to have a shiny coating that prevents the caramel from adhering properly. She uses pecan halves — not pieces — and emphasizes quality ingredients. “I don’t use pecan pieces, so you can see what you’re getting. And I do it all by hand, and when I say all ‘by hand’ I mean all by hand. I make all the caramel. I don’t melt caramels. I don’t use powders. I use real ingredients to make the caramel. I coat it all by hand, which is why you’ll notice mine is evenly coated, as opposed to some that’s kind of spotted. I do all the stirring and mixing,” she said, describing a process that leaves each batch with a distinct texture and finish.
Production is measured and labor‑intensive. A full run that yields about 60 bags takes roughly five hours from start to finish — popping the corn, preparing and coating the caramel, and packaging the finished product. Hudson places a conservative shelf life on her packages: although she rates the product for up to six months, she labels bags with a five‑month expiration and advises customers to store popcorn at room temperature, below 70 degrees. She warned against keeping the product in a hot car during Arizona summers, noting that heat will recrystallize the caramel and create a sticky, gummy texture; refrigeration is possible, but not generally recommended for ordinary storage.
Distribution now includes the Bashas’ family of stores and AJs, along with specialty outlets such as the Queen Creek Olive Mill, which began carrying her product last year. Hudson also sells online and maintains a presence at Local First Arizona events and Olive Mill tastings, where she does samples and holiday sales. The holiday season is her busiest period and brings steady orders from corporate customers; she hopes to expand further into weddings, corporate gifting and special events. “I would like to expand into that arena a little bit more,” she said, noting the demand she sees during peak seasons and at specialty events.
Beyond recipes and retail, Hudson encourages would‑be entrepreneurs to take advantage of local business education. She recommends attending bootcamps offered by chambers of commerce and groups such as Local First Arizona to learn the basics of business structure and management. “They’ll teach you about an LLC or if you want to be a sub‑corporation or if you just want to stay a sole proprietorship,” she said, adding that Local First also covers marketing and money management. Hudson said she launched her business without that formal guidance and that the classes would have smoothed the path: “When I started, I didn’t do any of that. I went blindly for it. It worked out. But if I had known about those types of classes, it would have made it a little easier. But I still got there.”
Additional information about product offerings and ordering is available on her website and by email. LJ’s Gourmet Caramel Corn can be reached at ljsgourmet.com or ljsgourmet@gmail.com.
LJ's official website adds that the popcorn is non-GMO and gluten-free, popped in coconut oil with real butter and brown sugar, and offers seasonal holiday versions of the original and pecan varieties. It also highlights nationwide shipping, bulk custom-branded orders for corporate gifting, and availability at AJ's Fine Foods locations in Phoenix, Chandler, Mesa, and Tucson. (ljsgourmet.com)
LJ's online shop lists specific package sizes and retail prices: for example a 3.4‑oz bag for $3.00, a 10‑oz bag for $9.49, a 10.5‑oz pecan bag for $10.49, and holiday sizes around $11.99–$12.99; the site also offers a 7.5‑oz bag of caramel‑coated pecans for $8.99.
AJ’s Fine Foods carries LJ’s online as well — the product appears on AJ’s/Instacart with an 11.5‑oz bag listed for same‑day delivery at about $12.39, making the popcorn available for local delivery in addition to in‑store purchase.
The Better Business Bureau lists LJ's Gourmet Caramel Popcorn as an A+ accredited business at 3060 E. Lakewood St., Mesa, AZ 85213, names Lisa J. Hudson as the owner, notes the business start date as January 4, 2011, LLC incorporation on September 19, 2013, and BBB accreditation since March 19, 2013.