Why did you start PrePOPsterous®?
I love popcorn…and so do most people! Working in a gourmet popcorn store in high school was my first job, and little did I know that I would love it so much that I’d one day want to own my own gourmet popcorn company. I love everything about it…from the manufacturing process to serving it to customers to the joy people have when they receive it in the mail. What is there not to love about gourmet popcorn?!
How did you come up with the name?
Identifying a brand name was hard work, and took a lot of intentional thought and effort. When creating the brand, it was important to create a name that was fun. When I really thought about it, I had three criteria:
1. It had to be one word;
2. It had to be whimsical; and
3. It had to have “POP” in the word.
I worked with a designer and copywriter to create just the right name, and PrePOPsterous® was born! It met every single criteria I had set out. Since it’s a play on a real word (preposterous, which means absurd), we thought it only fitting that it inform our tagline: Absurdly™ Flavorful Gourmet Popcorn.
What makes your popcorn different from competitors?
There are a few things that differentiate us from our competitors. First, we make our gourmet popcorn to order! We don’t pop a bunch of popcorn and put it on the shelf until an order comes in. Instead, we receive an order, make the popcorn, package it and get it out the door. Second, our factory is 100% nut-free! We have little ones that have nut allergies, so we made the intentional decision to keep our manufacturing facility nut-free. Third, we’re an online retailer! Not having a brick & mortar storefront allows us to keep our prices competitive, and accessible to anyone that has an internet connection. Fourth, we’re mobile and available at local retailers! Being an online retailer gives us the flexibility to be available for special events throughout the community. In addition, we wholesale into a few local retailers, so you can find our brand at various locations throughout the community.
Do you do custom popcorn?
We love partnering with customers to do custom orders! Whether it’s a company-branded label on the packaging, a customized event favor, or custom colors for a wedding, we can help. In addition to these customized offerings, we are also available to provide our gourmet popcorn and soda bar at local events such as teacher appreciation day, prom after parties, and corporate events.
How often do you change your flavors?
Our Absurdly™ Caramel, Cheddar and Cinnamon are our most popular flavors, though we have many other Absurdly™ sweet and Absurdly™ savory flavors. Most of our flavors are available year-round, with the exception of our holiday flavors. Absurdly™ Pumpkin Spice is a fall favorite, and is released each year on Sept. 1st and available through the end of the year. Absurdly™ Gingerbread and Absurdly™ Peppermint become available each year on Nov. 15th thru the end of the year. When the clock strikes New Year’s Day, our holiday flavors go back in the vault until next time…so get them while they’re available.
What inspired you to “POP it forward”?
Being a part of the local community is important. We want to support local efforts, sports teams, business, and the goodness of our local citizens. There are so many great people doing great things in our community and it seemed like a no brainer. “POP it Forward” is a very small, yet public way, for us highlight people and businesses doing great work in the community.
If you have more questions feel free to reach out, we’d love to chat!