The company plans to add 160 jobs to the facility, poised to open mid-month. The company expects to invest “well over” $1m in capital expenditures.
The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval held a press conference announcing the opening, calling the company “one of the nation’s fastest growing brands”.
Jon Fieldman, senior vice president of operations for the company, said they are planning on investing in “continuous improvement” in both the employee base and facility in Reno.
The company had plans to grow their business by expanding in the west coast and picked Reno due to the business incentives given by the state.
Flavors from the company include Caramel and Cheddar Popcorn Mix, Sea Salt Popcorn and a line of flavored puffs. The company’s products are all certified gluten-free and non-GMO products. They are also cholesterol free with no high fructose corn syrup.
Popcorn’s huge growth in popularity
Popcorn has experienced a huge turnaround in popularity over the past years, as Rabobank International reported that US safes of bagged, ready-to-eat popcorn brands, such as BOOMCHICKAPOP, grew to $750m in 2015. This is up 25% from 2013 and up 60% from 2012.
"For a long time, popcorn was the somewhat unhealthy snack of choice for moviegoers and couch potatoes," said Nicholas Fereday, Rabobank’s executive director and senior analyst of food and consumer trends wrote in the report. "Now, new popcorn players are finding ways to appeal to changing lifestyles and tastes, revitalizing popcorn as a healthy and convenient snack."
Popcorn has ascended on the other side of the pond as well, as we reported earlier this summer that the Key Note Snack Foods Market Update 2015 found that the average UK resident eats 11 lbs of popcorn per year.