The idea of a gourmet popcorn shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan came from a small farm town in Illinois. Prior to that, I was working in the corporate world for a large food distributor. I was good at my job and had a pretty bright future, but like most of us, COVID happened. After taking a new role in the food distribution company my job security suddenly was up in the air. Being the newest member to the team I was put on furlough with no timeline of returning to work. This lasted 6 months and while it was easy, I was going crazy. So, I started looking for employment and landed a job for an “essential” business, a battery distribution company. During my 6 month furlough, I began to question if I wanted to continue to work for someone else and have my career/work determined by others rather than by myself. I began brainstorming of what I could start as a side hustle or as a new business. The idea of a popcorn shop came to me by my father-in-law. At first, I thought it was a wild idea. One, I enjoy popcorn, but I knew nothing about what it took to make it “gourmet” and was hesitant if I could actually do it. Thankfully, the popcorn shop I mentioned earlier in a small Illinois town, is owned by a family friend. After thinking about the idea of popcorn, I said what the heck, I’ll check it out. I was able to shadow the owner of the popcorn shop, and after spending a couple of days with her, I was confident that I was able to make popcorn and fill a void in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Now there are a few popcorn companies in Grand Rapids, but no one really knew of them, and they did not seem to be pushing the boundaries of what popcorn could be. My vision was to create a fun popcorn brand that everyone could relate to and enjoy. My first thought was that it needed to be an experience. I have always enjoyed watching the process of food being made and having the ability to watch someone make what I enjoy. At Popnotch Goods, we have an open kitchen concept. People are able to see the entire process of what it takes to make popcorn come alive into a delectable and beautiful little treat. The aesthetics of the shop are very important as well. People seem to be drawn to thoughtful design and my wife, Paige, is a wizard when it comes to that. She designed the entire shop and the branding. It is simple and has a classic yet playful feel.

A shop that is thoughtfully designed and experiential is great but we also needed some stellar popcorn. Knowing nothing about popcorn, I leaned on a lot of professionals that I connected with, and learned a lot on my own about what it takes to make the freshest popcorn and how to develop flavors that are delicious and visually appealing. We also partnered with a food and flavor scientist that knows everything about flavors, which was a critical component of our flavor development. Developing seasonings and flavors is very scientific. Multiple factors go into developing tasty flavors. With the help of the food scientist, we were able to create some incredible and authentic flavors, like my best seller: Dill Pickle. A unique flavor that leaves everyone wanting more. Aside from the savory flavors, I thought of developing sweet flavors that use real fruit ingredients instead of using conventional methods like popping popcorn in flavored sugar. I wanted to differentiate myself and use real ingredients. For example, we developed a Raspberry Dark Chocolate flavor. This popcorn flavor incorporates real raspberry powder and freeze-dried raspberry pieces. The attributes of a real raspberry is incorporated into this flavor; tart, sweet, and bitter. Everything blends very nicely together and creates a delectable flavor.

Flavor development is what makes me most excited. To me, gourmet popcorn is that it is a vehicle of flavor, and my goal is to create tasty savory, and sweet blends, using real ingredients and innovative flavoring methods to deliver the best product. In all, I wanted to make a brand that stood out from most and be forward-thinking about how to use real ingredients in popcorn, and make the freshest and best tasting popcorn in all of Michigan.

My name is Patrick Avila, I am a California native (long beach) and found myself moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan for college and I never looked back. I have really felt at peace moving to Michigan. One because I love the state and everything it has to offer, and secondly, the people I have met (my wife) and the opportunities that I have had here.

Beyond being innovative with popcorn flavors, we want to give our customers a great experience both inside and outside of our doors. We do this by creating a product that everyone can enjoy. A segment that we have been looking to grow in is events/weddings and corporate gifting. With our branding and delicious popcorn, it makes an excellent gift for all kinds of occasions. Many people do not like receiving “stuff” for gifts. “Stuff” is quickly forgotten if it is not applicable, but food or better yet, popcorn, can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone. Who doesn’t like popcorn? At Popnotch Goods, we make a product that can be given and received by all with no complaint. The packaging and experience of receiving it is great, and when the bag of popcorn is opened, we satisfy the taste buds of all!

Another attribute of Popnotch Goods is that we offer more than popcorn. Popcorn is our heart and soul, but we wanted to expand beyond popcorn and provide “goods”/snacks that are unique and pair with popcorn. For example, in our shop, we offer scooped ice cream. Popcorn and ice cream go hand in hand to me. Another offering we have are 4 uniquely flavored pumpkin seeds: Chipotle Maple, Spicy Ashwagandha, Tex-Mex Cheddar, and Matcha & Cacao & Curcuma.

In the popcorn industry, it is essential to have people see and try your product. Almost everyone has eaten popcorn, but how do you get the potential customer to pick your product over a store-bought bag or a competitor? You have to get in front of people.

When we opened our doors, Nov 18th of 2022, we timed it perfectly. The holiday’s were ahead of us and people were looking to shop. Popcorn makes a great gift and being new everyone wanted to check us out. I thought we struck gold right off the bat. For 6 weeks we were selling and selling a lot. After feeling high and mighty, January 1st hit. Business screeched to a halt. I was very confused as we had many customers buy popcorn for themselves and as gifts for Christmas. I thought our reach would be spectacular and hook those individuals who bought our popcorn. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Winter was a tough stretch of business and we thought we would have people inquiring about our product and how they might order it online. None of that was the case. As the owner and developer of everything, I thought we had a stellar product that people could not resist. I had to learn that everything takes time and effort to continue to get in front of people to either remind them or tell them what you do and how you do it. Rarely does an idea take off and go to the moon.

So far the most effective strategy to grow our clientele is getting in front of them and give them a sample. We are doing this by involving ourselves in local Farmer’s Markets and any event we are invited to. These are crucial for brand recognition and for people to try our popcorn. Without getting in front of them you rely on foot traffic into the shop. The location of Popnotch Goods is in a great location for unique local business with a heavy amount of car and foot traffic. The dilemma is not everyone is actively shopping. Many people roam around and pop in shops, enjoy the nice weather, and like to be out and about. This helps with visibility, but does not allows equate to people coming into your store. At a Farmers Market or event, people are actively looking to shop and there is a lot of customer-facing interactions. We then can give samples, talk about who we are, what we do, and establish relationships with others. A majority of our opportunities have come from active shoppers at these events who either put on other events, order gift for clients, or see an opportunity with our product.

One piece of advice for managing a team is that as an owner you cannot do everything yourself and need to rely on others who are good at their job. I think it is very easy to get into a micro-managing mindset when you open a business. Obviously there is a standard you want to keep and that standard comes from you. Giving that “standard” responsibility to someone other than yourself is hard because you are not in control. Allowing others to learn from you and effectively show them and teach them the standard is very important, but it is equally important to allow your employees to take ownership of their task. Now, you need to keep them accountable, but for the most part the employee is highly capable of completing the job and reaching the standard.