Made-from-scratch popcorn company finds fast growth in Sioux Falls
March 15, 2023
What started with a kiosk at The Empire Mall has grown quickly into multi-store deals for an area popcorn company.
JB Pop Popcorn is based in North Sioux City, where co-owners Bobby Fender and Jeremy Johnson have a production facility and are planning a storefront.
They founded the company two years ago.
“I’ve just always had a passion for popcorn and always had kind of a dream to start my own popcorn business,” said Johnson, who has a background in retail. “And I felt like the timing was right so took a leap of faith, and here we are.”
A fire postponed the grand opening of their storefront in North Sioux City, and while that space is being restored, they’re now producing popcorn at Southern Hills Mall in Sioux City and selling in that mall, as well as The Empire Mall, and retailers in the Sioux City area.
“Really what makes it stand out is everything is completely from scratch. Everything is handcrafted start to finish,” Johnson said. “That’s what gives it such good flavor and good taste.”
For instance, they use a liquid cheddar instead of a powder and coat the popcorn by hand.
“I think it makes our product tenfold better,” Johnson said.
While they’re just beginning to pursue the Sioux Falls market, it’s quickly adding up to more distribution. This week, the popcorn will begin being sold in the Sioux Falls-area Fareway grocery stores, and Lewis Drug plans to add it in its Sioux Falls stores as well as a few others nearby, Johnson said.
The popcorn also will be carried at Agua Fresh downtown and at Chef Ellen at 2210 W. 69th St.
“Sioux Falls is great,” Johnson said. “The customers are amazing, and The Empire Mall has been just fantastic.”
JB Pop Popcorn’s top seller is its caramel corn, followed by its caramel and cheddar mix.
Other popular flavors include birthday cake, caramel apple, cinnamon, apple and dark chocolate caramel. The business also plans to add a line of cotton candy soon.
At some point, given its central location regionally, Sioux Falls also could become a production location and include a storefront, Johnson said.
“Sioux Falls has just been amazing,” he said.
The business also partners with organizations for fundraisers, offering a 60 percent cut to the organization, plus free delivery.
“It’s probably one of the best fundraisers around for the amount of money that goes back to the organization, and as people have started to see that, they’ve really noticed,” Johnson said.
