The Got to Be NC Pavilion, located inside Dorton Arena, has become a crowd favorite at the N.C. State Fair! This year’s fair theme is Home Grown Happiness. What better way to celebrate than by shopping local and sharing your hometown pride?! Now entering it’s fourth year inside Dorton Arena, the Got to Be NC Pavilion is offering many new and returning local products this year, new Got to Be NC merchandise, Chef Stage Demonstrations and more. Keep reading to find out all the details and stop by the Got to Be NC Pavilion Oct. 17th through the 27th at the N.C. State Fair! The building will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., except on Thursday, Oct. 17 when the exhibit will open at 12 p.m.
Shop Local with over 30 Got to Be NC members
The Got to Be NC Pavilion will be full of local products and vendors this year, from returning favorites to brand-new members! In fact, four vendors will be showcasing their products at the N.C. State Fair for the very first time: Cary Caramel Company, Homespun by Betty, Raleigh Popsicle Co., and the Cellar at Stardust Cellars Winery and Meadery. Learn more about the new vendors and their products below.
The Got to Be NC Pavilion vendors take shifts throughout the fair, so be sure to visit the first weekend and the second weekend of the fair to try more products. Some vendors will work for the full duration of the fair, and others will change over on Wednesday, Oct. 23rd. This also means, when you see something that you want inside the pavilion this year, don’t hesitate! Buy it before it’s gone and support your local business owners.
– Cary Caramel Company –
Cary Caramel Company, located in Cary, makes a variety of handmade caramel products for their customers, including salted caramels, caramel cremes, and caramel popcorn. Although the business dream wasn’t born until 2021, the passion and dedication behind their products started long before that.
In 2015, Dermot Allen began making caramels at Christmas to give his neighbors alongside his wife’s cookies. As it often does, word travelled fast throughout the neighborhood and beyond about how delicious these homemade caramels are! “In 2021, one of my friends asked if he could buy a large quantity of my caramels for his friends and family,” Dermot said. “Up until this point, I had never thought about making this a full-time operation. However, since then, I have worked tirelessly to provide caramels for customers across the state and beyond.”
Since it’s inception, the home-base of Cary Caramel Company has moved from Dermot’s personal home kitchen to a commercial kitchen. “I take pride in providing my customers with the highest-quality ingredients and service,” Dermot said, “and the commercial kitchen has allowed me to do that with each product.” All caramel products can be found at a variety of farmers markets across the state, including the Cary Farmers Market, the Holly Springs Farmers Market and the Midtown Farmers Market in Raleigh. This past September, they made their first appearance at the NC Mountain State Fair in Fletcher, and now they are taking on the Got to Be NC Pavilion at the N.C. State Fair for the very first time!
For the entire duration of the fair this year, Oct. 17-27th, you can find Cary Caramel Company inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion, located in Dorton Arena. They will not only have fresh, homemade caramels available to sample, but will also have their line of products ready for purchase. Don’t miss your chance to stock up on caramels for your family and friends. They will make a great gift this holiday season!
– Homespun by Betty –
Hobbies and family traditions can easily turn into full-time careers when they are filled with time, talent and love. In 2021, Betty Williams began experimenting with home canning and jam making as a fun hobby, starting with her great-grandmothers strawberry jam recipe. As she began to experiment further, making flavors such as Peach Bourbon Jam, Brandy Apple Butter and Pineapple Mojito Jam, Betty’s friends and family began to encourage her to find a way to sell her products. In 2022, Homespun by Betty was born!
Originally located at a small farmers market in Statesville, Homespun by Betty has grown leaps and bounds since it’s inception in 2022. In fact, they recently opened a storefront brick and mortar store in Statesville where Betty is not only stocking the shelves with her own products, but also other North Carolina made products. In addition to her storefront business, Betty travels to many festivals and fairs each year offering jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters, including the NC Mountain State Fair and the N.C. State Fair.
Homespun by Betty is currently offering a wide variety of products, including Strawberry Jam, Blueberry Lemon Jam, Black Betty Bramble Jam, Pach Bourbon Jam, Cherry Bomb Butter and Brandy Apple Butter. Their best-selling items are the Brandy Apple Butter and Peach Bourbon Jam. “They are crowd favorites,” Betty said. “My motto is to ‘Go Beyond the Toast’ and all of our products do that by adding unique flavors to familiar dishes.”
This year, Betty can be found inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion from Oct. 23rd until Oct. 27th. Fairgoers can not only look forward to purchasing her products on-site, but also sampling jams and delicious bakery items at her booth! “There is nothing like a good free JAMPLE,” Betty joked. “I am really looking forward to seeing people come out to the Got to Be NC Pavilion at the fair this year. I can’t wait to visit with our fellow vendors, network with current customers and meet new customers.” Betty will also be offering new products, like shortbread stuffed jam and other baked goods, so stop by her booth inside Dorton Arena on your visit to the fair this year!
– Raleigh Popsicle Co. –
In May of 2021, Cristhian and Nikki Jones started Raleigh Popsicle Co. from the ground up as a way to bring smiles to the community and blend cultures across the world. Originally the couple was based out of a little bicycle cart at the Raleigh flea market, but their business quickly outgrew it! Their first brick and mortar location, inside Crabtree Valley Mall, brought many new customers and provided more space for Cristhian and Nikki to develop additional popsicle flavors. In recent months, they have expanded to add their second brick and mortar location in downtown Raleigh, where they also have a full-scale production kitchen.
With Cristhian being a native of Columbia, South America, and Nikki being a native of Raleigh, the couple incorporates many flavors and traditions into their popsicle products. To date, they have over twenty flavors, ranging from ice-cream-based popsicles to fruit and water-based popsicles. So, no matter what you’re in the mood for, Raleigh Popsicle Co. has a product for you to love and enjoy! “Everyone likes to enjoy popsicles differently,” Nikki said. “Some people look at them as an indulgent dessert, and others like to enjoy them as a fresh fruit treat. That’s why Cristhian and I always try to make sure we have options for any and everyone.” Currently their best-selling flavors are cookies & cream, cotton candy, watermelon, mango and strawberry lemonade.
Cristhian and Nikki are excited to bring their popsicle flavors to the fair this year and showcase them as a part of the Got to Be NC Pavilion family! “Our treats will be deliciously unique to fairgoers this year,” Nikki said. “In fact, we challenge you to look all over the state fair, and we promise you won’t find anything quite like our products!” Raleigh Popsicle Co. will have a variety of their most-popular flavors available for purchase from Oct. 17th to Oct. 27th inside Dorton Arena. “We hope to not only make you fall in love with your new favorite local product, but also make you feel like you are on a tropical tiki oasis in mid-October at the N.C. State Fair.”
– The Cellars at Stardust Cellars Winery and Meadery –
Stardust Cellars, located in North Wilkesboro, is excited to be a vendor inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion for the very first time this year! Established in 2018, Stardust Cellars is currently the only meadery in the south that produces spontaneous fermented meads. They are also the only meadery in the United States to have received Mazer Cup medals for their indigenous honey yeasts.
Nicolas Hogrefe, owner, CEO and Meadmaker at Stardust Cellars, started the company on April 25th, 2018. Originally, the company started out with a product line of wild fermented bottled dry wine and mead. “Our original products truly embodied the live culture of Ancestral Mead,” he said. “However, as our company has grown, we have not only kept some of the original products to continue to highlight that heritage and tradition, but also added other products that highlight the flavors found across North Carolina.” The Funky Ferments brand continues to carry the wild fermentation and local honey products used in the early days of the company. Additionally, they also offer a variety of 5% abv semisweet meads in 16oz. cans that spotlight local honey and fruits from North Carolina farmers. Their most popular product to date is the Honey Buzzed mead, which is a lemon ginger session mead available in 16oz. cans.
Nicolas and his team are looking forward to showcasing their products inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion at the N.C. State Fair this year, located inside Dorton Areana, for many reasons. “I am most excited to showcase the incredible meads we are producing here in North Carolina with local honey, as beekeeping is a huge part of the culture and economy of our state,” he said. “These meads are something for North Carolinians to be proud of because they highlight a growing agricultural industry.”
Fairgoers can look forward to tasting the wild funk of Stardust Cellar’s Funky Ferments, as well as experiencing several of their canned mead items, like Blue Ridge Blueberry, Stone Mountain Strawberry, Honey Buzzed, Sweet Carolina and Watermelon Sessions. “I look forward to connecting with customers and allowing them to try our products during the N.C. State Fair,” Nicolas said. “The fair is the central hub of Carolina culture, and our meads seek to showcase some of the agriculture heritage and beauty that is found across the state. I hope that people will recognize our products as unique and something that they want to share with their friends and family.” Stardust Cellars can be found inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion at the N.C. State Fair from Oct. 17th until Oct. 22nd.
Show off your NC Pride with all-new Got to Be NC merch
The N.C. State Fair, NC Mountain State Fair and Got to Be NC Festival are nearly the only places to stock up on Got to Be NC merchandise each year. Inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion at the fair, not only can you find a few returning favorites, like our Got to Be NC cookbook and EIEIO shirts, but our team also has many new items to show you this year. Whether you’re looking for new shirts to share your local pride, a hoodie to stay warm in this fall, or a tote bag for all of your personal needs, our Got to Be NC team has got you covered this year at the fair. Here is a sneak peak at a few of the items you will see. Start planning which ones are you “must have” items!
Got to Be NC Chef Stage Demonstrations
For the fourth year in a row, local chefs will be taking the stage inside the Got to Be NC Pavilion to teach you how to create delicious dishes with local products. With multiple demonstrations each day, there are plenty of opportunities for you to sit in on a demonstration, learn a new dish to try making at home, and even sit on the stage with the chef and sample yourself!
At the start of each demonstration, four lucky audience members will be chosen to come up and sit at the Chef’s Table. Not only will these individuals have a front row seat to the action, but they will also get to sample the dish once the demonstration is over and experience an NC Wine tasting with each dish. Food and Travel Writer Heidi Bilotto, with HeidiBilottoFoods.com, will be hosting these daily demonstrations. Look for the full schedule on the N.C. State Fair website or social media in the coming weeks and be sure to catch a demonstration on your visit to the fair this year!
