We recently connected with Jim Meyerott and have shared our conversation below.
Jim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
The story of how Partypop began is really a love story. At the time, I was in a long term relationship and doing
everything in my power to keep my girlfriend happy. Thats what every mans job is (am I right ladies?). We had
been together for a long time (5 years) and at this point the relationship had become a bit stale. We were growing
apart and needed to add something to add pizzazz back. What better way to do that than to take her favorite chip
flavor (Salt & Vinegar) and put it on popcorn! Needless to say, the Salt & Vinegar was a hit with the honey and then
one fateful evening I went to my friends grand opening of his brewery. I brought some Salt & Vinegar popcorn to
to help with the downing of beers and my friend exclaimed “I would love to sell this in my brewery!”. At that very
moment, destiny had struck. My purpose for being on this Earth realized. It was time to embark on a journey. A
noble quest some would say to provide the world with flavors of popcorn they’ve only dreamt about. Now it was
time to set sail.
I began by selling to that brewery and then did extensive market research. Can I sell to other breweries? What is
local market for a popcorn company that uses organic, butterfly kernels, coconut oil, and gourmet seasonings?
Is the world ready for this? After a resounding YES to all of these questions, I decided that my improvement to
popcorn was necessary and needed to be executed.
Many breweries in particular didn’t have snacks and the ones that did had store bought, big name chip brands
usually. They needed a craft snack. Like how the craft their beers. So wouldn’t popcorn with amazing flavors fit
the bill? Why yes! I was excited to invent a popcorn that breaks the mold and brings more excitement to an
industry associated with such.
It did not stop there though. The business has grown far outside of just breweries. It is now a fun party favor to
give for your wedding or included in surprise thank you gift boxes. Bringing happiness and excitement to people
is the favorite part of the business for me. It is something I am able to do everyday and this keeps me ecstatic
about my business!
that is associated with positive
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I was born and raised in San Diego, Ca. I am an ravenous Padres and heart broken ex-Chargers fan. I played
baseball and football growing up. I love camping, surfing, staying in hostels in foreign countries and meeting new
people. I like surrounding myself with a cast of creative and eccentric characters. I understand and depending on
how many drinks I have in me believe I can speak German (learned while studying abroad in college). I enjoy
doing pottery as a creative outlet (as well as making popcorn flavors of course too). I studied finance in college as
well as the art of socialization. I went to the Harvard of party schools (San Diego State University).
I am proud that my customers know that I am providing them with a unique product (has anyone had Churro
flavored popcorn before!?) and provide them with excellent service to fulfill their needs. Partypop is a brand
built around amplifying excitement and people know it’s not a party without Partypop! Our custom label
program is especially exciting as we often do surprise gifts for peoples clients which are truly a hit! The flavor
list we have many have never seen before on popcorn. Our most unique flavors are Salt & Vinegar, Churro and
Honey BBQ with seasonal hits such as Pumpkin Spice and Guacamole! We bring a craft spin on popcorn which
has been pidgeon holed in the past as coated in butter or caramel without a creative flare.
Have you ever had to pivot?
During Covid, I had to completely change my business model. I was selling to breweries, event centers and
at festivals. All of these were closed. So what on Earth did I do? I hopped on the internet and began talking to
businesses about sending custom labeled quarantine popcorn gifts! I began doing bulk gift box orders and providing
excitement to people across the galaxy!
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
Covid was definitely what I had thought would be a killer. I had an impulse buy product and nowhere for people
to buy it. I wasn’t in any major grocery stores and getting a new product in was extremely difficult given the
pandemic. I felt hopeless. Then I began to realize that everybody sitting at home needed some excitement and
businesses needed a safe way to market themselves. Henceforth, custom labeled Partypop gifts!
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