Oser Communications Group

6 SNACKING NEWS December 2017 City Walk. The premium popcorn is pre- pared in small batches, and the company guarantees its products will please its con- sumers. Popcornopolis's original flavor was caramel corn, made with cane sugar and real butter. Cheddar Cheese soon fol- lowed, and the com- pany says it's consistently in the top three flavors. As word spread of the company's premium popcorns in the signature cello-wrapped cone, eventually stores opened in Califor- nia, the Midwest and New England. But we're getting ahead of the story. The Arnolds' success story, says Mar- keting Officer Pamela Reardon, "is a little bit different." Kathy was the original product devel- oper for the company, she says. "She is re- ally a very quality-centered, determined and uncompromising developer. Her suc- cess was driven by her insistence on qual- ity ingredients – and on developing relationship with suppliers who would meet her standards. Wally was the sales guy and marketer." One day, a customer visited the shop and loved the products. A few days later, Costco called. "This was back in the days when every Costco bought independ- ently," says Reardon. "Turns out the cus- tomer was a Costco buyer, and was so im- pressed by the popcorn that they wanted to add it to a Southern California store." While that sounds like a dream come true for a specialty foods maker, such sud- den growth can pose huge challenges for small producers, who suddenly find them- selves overwhelmed by sales demand and can't keep pace with higher manufacturing requirements. Fortunately, says Reardon, "Popcornopo- lis was able to grow rapidly and move into the club envi- r o n m e n t , which is very different from retail. They were able to pace their growth as Costco grew, and be- came a very efficient manufacturer in a plant in El Segundo." Moving Away from Brick-and-Mortar Stores Only the Hollywood store is owned by the company, Reardon says. The rest are fran- chisee-owned, although the company is now less focused on franchising. "Whole- sale is one of our most important channels these days. The keys to our business are clubs (such as Costco, Sam's and BJ's Wholesale Club), mass channels such as Wal-Mart and Target, and traditional gro- cery stores such as Kroger, Safeway and Publix. "We also sell directly to the consumer via our website, which gives our cus- tomers the chance to purchase personal or corporate gifts, and we have a really cool fund-raiser program for schools, athletic associations and other organizations look- ing to fund-raise with an innovative, wholesome product," Reardon says. In fact, Popcornopolis has raised more than $10 million for non-profit groups by partnering with organizations that support youth and education across America. Keeping the Lines Fresh Today, Popcornopolis offers its customers the difficult choice of 20 flavors. Some are seasonal – Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice are obviously fall and holiday fla- vors – while others, such as Almond Caramel and Peanut Butter Cup, are year- round favorites. Earlier this year, the company debuted its Zebra Popcorn, a new line of five con- fection-style organic popcorn, with pre- mium chocolate and hand-selected ingredients and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The new flavors are Chocolate Stripe, Chocolate Peanut But- ter, White Chocolate Macadamia, Choco- late Candy Cane and White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice. All five are sold in reseal- able 6-ounce pouches to preserve fresh- ness. "For our Zebra line, we modeled and executed consumer research that allowed us to include consumer feedback from across the country," Reardon says. "We wanted to avoid regional bias and create products that would delight people every- where. We're using extraordinarily pre- mium chocolate on the Zebra line, so we have these incredible ingredients that are gluten-free and non-GMO, with clean la- beling." The company had originally planned to launch its new USDA-certified organic line at the same time, Reardon says, but there were some delays in bring a new manufacturing plant online. As a result, the company will deliver its first orders of the organic line in the first quarter of 2018. It's a Family Affair The Arnolds have five sons, and three are now involved directly in the business, Reardon says. "And the son who's still in college was my intern this summer." As it happens, each son's interests have led him to land in a different seg- ment of the busi- ness, something that often doesn't happen in family businesses. "Michael is the vice-president of sales; he's a dynamo. Chris is the plant manager, and Ted's in charge of wholesale distribu- tion. Sam, my intern, is interested in mar- keting," she says. "They're very complementary to each other, so they're really on their way to making a very cross-functional leadership team." The company just moved from its orig- inal El Segundo plant into a new 150,000- square-foot manufacturing plant in Mount Vernon, California. Kathy still oversees all of the company's manufacturing, Reardon says, and the company now employs 250 people full time. For more information on Popcornopolis, visit www.popcornopolis.com. n Popcornopolis Continued from Page 1 Hershey Debuts Its Fourth Flavor to Celebrate Winter Olympics Melinda Lewis, Senior Director/General Man- ager, Hershey's Franchise at The Her- shey Company. "We use a proprietary cooking process to transform the white creme into a golden bar by caramelizing the creme, which helps maintain a sweet, creamy taste. The launch of Hershey's Gold will introduce Americans to a new flavor and a new experience unlike any others before." The development of the new product stemmed from consumer demand for new ways to experience the iconic brand. Trends also show the rising popularity of crunchy multi-textured candy. With Her- shey's Gold bars, the company recognized that consumers favor a complex combina- tion of ingredients, which led to the unique variation of sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy. Over the past century, The Hershey Company has introduced innovations driven by consumer demand, while still maintaining the legacy of its iconic brands. Hershey's Gold bars are the fourth flavor profile for the leading confectioner in more than 100 years. In support of the Hershey's Gold bars launch, and as a partner of Team USA, Hershey's brand has named Apolo Ohno, two-time Olympic Gold medalist and the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time, and Rico Roman, 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Gold medalist, Army Veteran and 2018 Paralympic Hopeful, to its athlete roster of brand ambassadors. In the lead up to, and during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, both Ohno and Roman will serve as Team Hershey's athletes and inspire consumers nationwide to em- brace the Olympic and Paralympic spirit with the new Hershey's Gold bars. In ad- dition, Simone Biles, five-time Olympic medalist, who joined Team Hershey's in advance of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, will help debut and celebrate the new flavor. "The introduction of Hershey's Gold bars marks a defining moment for The Hershey Company as a chocolate innova- tor while also commemorating the influ- ential and cultural moment of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," said Lewis. "We want consumers to share in this golden opportunity and be a part of this historic moment for Hershey and Team USA." The new product launch syncs up with the official 100 Day countdown to the Pyeong Chang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, but will be a permanent addition to the Hershey's line-up. After the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, consumers can continue to celebrate the sweet taste of victory with the taste of Her- shey's Gold bars. The new flavor is available in both stan- dard size 1.4 ounce, retailing at $.99, and king size 2.5 ounces, retailing at $1.69 and higher. n For the fourth time in the company's his- tory, Hershey is announcing a new flavor to its namesake portfolio, Hershey's Gold. The new bars are a caramelized creme that feature salty peanut and pret- zel bits to give consumers a sweet, but- tery taste that is topped off with a creamy and crunchy finish. Hershey's flavor his- tory began in 1900 with the launch of its iconic milk chocolate bar, followed by Hershey's Special Dark chocolate in 1939. It wasn't until 1995, 56 years later, that the company introduced Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme. Now in 2017, the iconic Hershey's brand will launch Her- shey's Gold, the first mass-market, golden creme confection in the U.S. "The buttery, sweet taste of Hershey's Gold bars provides an entirely new way for consumers to enjoy our brand," said

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