Americans consume 16bn quarts of popcorn annually, with 70% of popcorn eaten at home. Capturing a share of this is all about keeping it simple and being honest with consumers, Angie Bastian, co-founder of popcorn firm Angie’s Artisan Treats tells just-food’s Hannah Abdulla.
A healthy snack with transparent messaging – “but not diet food” – is what Angie Bastian, founder of US popcorn brand Angie’s Boomchickapop, tells me she envisaged when launching her product range. No pressure then, I thought. It’s not as if the US is short of popcorn makers.
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In order to stand out, Angie’s Boomchickapop has focused on wholesome, healthy messaging. A common-held perception is that popcorn is bad for you but this is down to the way it has come to be processed, Bastian says. “I grew up on a farm. We popped it ourselves – there was nothing simpler than popcorn. Sunday night dinner was apple, peanut butter and popcorn; a fruit, protein and wholegrain. So I didn’t necessarily think of it as unhealthy. It’s just been manufactured as unhealthy over time,” she says.
And she’s been determined to push the natural and “healthy” side to popcorn since Angie’s Boomchickapop brand officially launched in 2011 under the Angie’s Artisan Treats banner. The range is wholegrain, gluten-free and is non-GMO verified. “Oh and by the way, it’s only 35 calories,” she adds in as a throwaway line.
Popcorn has raked in sales for the firm. In 2013 Angie’s made US$54.5m in sales. The run rate for 2014 is $80.5m. Starting out with her husband Dan, popping kettle corn at street fairs in 2001 in their hometown of Mankato, Minnesota, to doing the same in the back of a grocery store three years later, thereafter outgrowing a 150sq foot facility to reaching its existing 260-man strong plant 12 months later, I can’t help but wonder how this is possible given the product range is solely popcorn. This, coupled with the fact I myself might shy away from it in the supermarkets under the perception it is unhealthy, means I’m keen to hear what’s propelled Angie’s to success.
“Transparency,” she says in a single word. It’s about not being ashamed of what’s in the product, and being honest with consumers, she elaborates. “Consumers are holding food companies far more accountable today, than perhaps any time in the past. They expect a lot more from their foods in terms of clarity, labelling and clean ingredient panels,” she says.
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By GlobalDataBut obviously given that consumers are making smarter choices today, it means companies have to be smarter in their ingredient choices as well as being transparent, I say. She agrees “clean, simple ingredients” are key, and popcorn can stay healthy “as long as you don’t do anything to mess it up.”
Moreover, it’s addressing a need in the market. As the trend for snacking grows, popcorn fits that.
Of course it’s imperative to give people a choice she says. While the brand is positioned to have “stripped out” all the badness traditionally associated with popcorn, “simple ingredients” for flavouring can be used she says. Angie’s offers a lightly sweet variant, which uses cane sugar. “We still give people choices,” she assures, “but we clearly put on the pack what’s in it, then you can choose how much you want. For us, it’s all about the message”.
It’s a funny time for health and popcorn with both trends picking up a fair bit of traction in the food world. You’ve got the big players, like General Mills acquiring organic and natural brands like Annie’s to get in on that trend. And then there’s ConAgra, which already makes popcorn, teaming up with health and wellness foods producer Skinnygirl for the launch of a low calorie microwave popcorn line. Diamond Foods in summer, took its Kettle brand into popcorn and made a point of pushing the “natural and non GMO ingredients” message. Boomchickapop itself is a relatively new player. The question is how the growth in the sector of these bigger brands affects smaller firms and whether the Bastians are intimidated by them.
It does make growth “difficult”, she says. “But on the other hand, it makes us better. That’s what competition does,” she says.
The popcorn sector in the US is undergoing somewhat of a static phase currently. According to research provider Companies and Markets, revenue is forecast to grow an average of 2.3% per year to $1.3bn during the five years to 2018. It appears the realisation has set in for the Bastians that popcorn is not the be all and end all.
The firm recently tied up with private equity firm TPG Growth and is in the process of preparing for its first non-popcorn product. In January Angie’s will roll out the Cheetos-like Boomchickapuff range – an ancient grain, non GMO-verified puff, made using quinoa and sorghum.
“We saw a segment within the snacks world that was lacking innovation and lacking a truly great-tasting product with simple ingredients. We knew we could create something special,” she says. “We believe our puffs will excite a broad range of consumers who seek simple, real, gluten-free delicious snacks,” she adds.
Moreover, the new product was created with sustainability in mind.
“Ancient grains are important. Any time a small company like us can begin to create smaller markets and awareness around something as simple as adding an interesting non-everyday ingredient, you’re creating a marketplace that feeds into the biodiverse agriculture – an alternative to mono or industrial agriculture. In the long term it supports soil health,” she says.
“It’s about looking at things a little differently. More than just serving up a snack, you’re supporting the earth too,” she concludes.
The new launch won’t spell the end of the group’s drive to grow its core popcorn range, Bastian assures. “We have been extremely fortunate to be growing at a rate that far exceeds the overall popcorn category and we expect that to continue into the future.”
Boomchickapop has enjoyed a period of growth globally, with a presence in all 50 US states and Canada, and has a small presence in the Caribbean and Korea via distributors. It is also launching in Mexico in Spring. Bastian adds there is “a lot of room in the US market to grow.” Boomchickapop is only present in 2% of US households, while 9% of US households carry a popcorn product.
But popcorn is not the only focus any longer, she says. Declining to disclose any more details on what is in store in terms of NPD in the near future, she leaves on a hopeful note, adding that plans are now being tailored on driving Angie’s to “become a leading healthy snack food company”.
