No business plan, no investors. Just Kelly and Thaddeus Perry, a honeymoon they still had to pay off, and one weekend at a small-town festival.
Kelly and Thaddeus married in 2014 but never took a honeymoon. When a family cruise came along, there was still a balance to pay. Thaddeus had $250. Kelly had a plan.
They signed up for a town festival in Hume, Missouri: funnel cakes from Kelly, pork rinds from Thaddeus, both self-taught in the backyard. By Saturday night, people were buying pork rinds four, five and six bags at a time. The next day Kelly posted their leftovers online, and 63 bags sold in a few hours. The honeymoon got paid for, and Perry's was born.
No roadmap. They figured out LLCs, food licenses and websites as they went, and grew by word of mouth, repeat customers and a whole lot of prayer.
After about 23 years as a butcher, Thaddeus left his steady career to cook Perry's full time.
When COVID canceled every event, they set up drive-up pop-up shops. In Parsons, 27 cars lined up around the block.
An old fuel station a block from home became the kitchen at 702 Pine Street, plus a small grocery and diner.
A Kansas meat and poultry license opened the door to retailers, including Pete's, where Kelly had her first high school job.
A federally inspected facility means Perry's can now go to stores nationwide. You'll find us in 200+ locations and counting.
After they formed the LLC and launched their first website, orders went out straight from their front door. Getting back to that kind of direct-to-you shipping is a big part of why this new site exists.
Kelly grew up in McCune, Kansas, and is the voice of Perry's, from sales and store partnerships to every new idea. She serves as President of the Bronson City Council and mentors food startups getting off the ground.
Thaddeus grew up in Parsons, Kansas, and brought about 23 years of butchering experience to the kettle. He's usually up by 4 a.m. cooking every batch himself. Off the clock, you'll find him in his garden, fishing or out with his bird dog.
Perry's is a true startup: no inheritance, no investors, just long days, plenty of mistakes and a lot of faith. They never set out to build a national snack brand. They just wanted to pay for a honeymoon.
