A young entrepreneur is making his way in Gibson County
GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — From funnel cakes to deep fried Oreos, 14-year-old Hunter Nelson has you covered, and he’s adding a little something special on top.
“It has been good. Definitely a good experience to tackle considering there are not that many kids that are my age starting out like that, so it’s definitely a good experience,” Hunter Nelson said.
Whoa Nelly’s Snack Shack can be seen at a variety of events and locations, from fairgrounds to local farmers markets.
His father, Dale Nelson, says he normally only does the driving for the truck and let’s Hunter Nelson be his own boss.
They say it all started in a special way when he was only 12-years-old.
“Three years ago we started a sweet corn patch for a little summer project for him and his little brother, and Hunter absolutely hated farming, so he took his earnings and he invested in his first setup, which was a tent and a snow cone machine,” Dale Nelson said.
Hunter Nelson’s journey eventually expanded to a food truck, and he is now on his second food trailer and working on a third one.
He says while the community loves his most popular snack, like Reese’s funnel cake, his favorite thing to make:
“Deep fried Oreos,” Hunter Nelson said.
“Deep fried Oreos is his baby. He makes sure those go out absolutely perfect,” Dale Nelson said.
His father says all of this is to teach him an important lesson as an entrepreneur.
“Well I was raised in a family of entrepreneurship as well, and hard work is really how you build a foundation for your future, and it starts at a young age,” Dale Nelson said.
And there’s one goal in mind.
“My grand goal is that when he’s 18 that he has everything in this business that he needs to be successful from that point forward, so when I hand him everything over for his birthday he don’t have to go in debt to buy something for his business,” Dale Nelson said.
For more information about Hunter Nelson’s business and to stay connected with his journey, follow there Facebook page.