What Popcorn for the People does

Popcorn for the People is a New Jersey-based social enterprise and 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit (legally Let's Work for Good Inc., EIN 47-3892053) that produces premium small-batch gourmet popcorn and channels 100% of profits into creating meaningful employment for adults with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities. Founded in 2014, the organization operates two production facilities — its Piscataway, NJ headquarters and a Philadelphia, PA facility opened in 2024 — and has reported creating 53 jobs and packing more than 35,000 bags across five core flavors: Seaside Caramel, Chicago Baked Cheddar, Sweet & Salty Kettle, Old School Butter, and Dark Chocolate Espresso.

The product portfolio is sold through a hybrid go-to-market model: direct-to-consumer e-commerce (individual bags at $8 regular / $4–$4.50 snack size, a $32 customizable Build Your Own Popcorn Subscription with 14/30/60-day cadence and free shipping, a $44 five-bag gift box, digital gift cards, and logo merchandise), wholesale distribution through retail partners including Wawa and Wegmans (cases of 40 bags), corporate gifting with dedicated account management for bulk events and fundraisers, a permanent sales kiosk at Lincoln Financial Field, and tri-state event sales. Pricing uses unit pricing plus a single subscription tier, with a 10% first-order discount via newsletter signup as the primary acquisition incentive.

Distribution is anchored by core strategic partnerships with the Eagles Autism Foundation, Wawa, and Nouyron (supporting the stadium kiosk and Philadelphia facility), Wegmans (retail channel), and Spectrum Designs (mission-aligned apparel printing). In August 2025, Theresa Santana joined as Executive Director and led a 2026 transition to a Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) model — opening positions to neurotypical applicants, implementing career ladders, and integrating mixed-neurodiverse teams. The organization has limited disclosed capital (one $20,000 SnackFutures grant in 2022), no venture funding, and does not publicly disclose revenue.

Name

Popcorn for the People

Legal name

Let's Work for Good Inc.

Website

https://popcornforthepeople.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Popcorn for the People is a New Jersey-based nonprofit social enterprise (Let's Work for Good Inc.) that produces premium small-batch gourmet popcorn across five flavors and employs neurodiverse adults with autism and intellectual disabilities, selling via DTC e-commerce, wholesale, and a Lincoln Financial Field kiosk.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Snack Foods

NAICS

Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052)

akta.pro primary industry

Popcorn & Puffed Snacks (CRADABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Popcorn Manufacturing (AFAKAIAC)

Keywords

• Gourmet popcorn products
• Social enterprise snacks
• Handcrafted popcorn
• Popcorn subscription service
• Corporate popcorn gifting

Headquarters

HQ city

Piscataway

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of individual popcorn bags, snack bags, and gift boxes through their website. Products include five flavors in regular ($8) and snack ($4-$4.50) sizes, plus gift boxes ($44) and merchandise.
2. Subscription Service: Monthly popcorn subscription box offering 4 bags of customizable flavors delivered every 14, 30, or 60 days with free shipping. Priced at $32 per delivery.
3. Wholesale Bulk Orders: Wholesale cases of 40 bags sold to retail shops, corporate clients, and event organizers with volume discounts. Also offers bulk 2-gallon bags for sharing and serving.
4. Corporate Gifting: Custom corporate gift orders for events, employee appreciation, and business gifting through dedicated wholesale accounts.
5. Digital Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in various denominations allowing recipients to select their own popcorn flavors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Popcorn for the People produces and sells small-batch, handcrafted gourmet popcorn in five flavors (Seaside Caramel, Chicago Baked Cheddar, Sweet & Salty Kettle, Old School Butter, Dark Chocolate Espresso) via direct-to-consumer e-commerce, subscriptions, gift boxes, gift cards, wholesale cases, and corporate gifting. All products are made by a workforce of neurodiverse adults with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities as a social enterprise where 100% of profits are reinvested into creating more meaningful employment.

Product overview

Popcorn for the People operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business centered on gourmet popcorn, with a portfolio of five core flavors (Seaside Caramel, Chicago Baked Cheddar, Sweet & Salty Kettle, Old School Butter, and Dark Chocolate Espresso) sold in regular 4-cup bags, snack 1.5-cup bags, and a large-format tub. The product line is anchored by a customizable Build Your Own Popcorn Subscription at $32.00, which delivers 4 bags on a recurring 14/30/60-day schedule with free shipping. Additional offerings include curated Gift Boxes ($44.00), Digital Gift Cards, Logo T-Shirts ($20.00), and wholesale bulk bags for B2B customers. The company sells cases of 40 bags at wholesale pricing. The entire product portfolio is produced by a team of neurodiverse adults, with 100% of profits reinvested into creating meaningful employment for people with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Build Your Own Popcorn Subscription A monthly popcorn subscription that delivers 4 bags of the customer's chosen gourmet flavors every 14, 30, or 60 days with free shipping included, priced at $32.00 per delivery. Can be modified or cancelled at any time.
• Seaside Caramel Popcorn Bag (Regular) A 4-cup bag of double-coated, all-natural caramel popcorn with a sweet-and-salty flavor profile, suitable for vegans, priced at $8.00.
• Chicago Baked Cheddar Popcorn Bag (Regular) A 4-cup bag of oven-baked cheddar popcorn made the Chicago way, offering a tangy, bold, and cheesy flavor with a 4/5 salty rating, priced at $8.00.
• Sweet & Salty Kettle Popcorn Bag (Regular) A 4-cup bag of kettle-style popcorn made with all-natural ingredients, delivering a light sweetness and hint of salt in every airy, golden kernel, priced at $8.00.
• Old School Butter Popcorn Bag (Regular) A 4-cup bag of classic buttered popcorn handmade with real cream and a touch of salt, delivering a smooth, deeply satisfying buttery flavor rated 5/5, priced at $8.00.
• Dark Chocolate Espresso Popcorn Bag (Regular) A 4-cup bag of popcorn coated with melted dark chocolate infused with Cafe Bustelo decaf espresso, delivering a deep mocha flavor, priced at $8.00.
• Seaside Caramel Snack Bag A 1.5-cup snack-size bag of the Seaside Caramel flavor, offering the same vegan caramel popcorn in a smaller portion, priced at $4.50.
• Sweet & Salty Kettle Snack Bag A 1.5-cup snack-size bag of the Sweet & Salty Kettle flavor, priced at $4.00.
• Dark Chocolate Espresso Snack Bag A 1.5-cup snack-size bag of the Dark Chocolate Espresso flavor, priced at $4.50.
• Chicago Baked Cheddar Snack Bag A 1.5-cup snack-size bag of the Chicago Baked Cheddar flavor, priced at $4.00.
• Old School Butter Snack Bag A 1.5-cup snack-size bag of the Old School Butter flavor, priced at $4.00.
• Gift Box A curated popcorn gift box containing 5 bags of gourmet popcorn, available in variety or single-flavor configurations, priced at $44.00.
• Digital Gift Card A digital gift card available in preset denominations ($25, $35, $50, $75, $100) that allows recipients to choose their own popcorn flavors.
• Logo Short Sleeve T-Shirt A red short-sleeve t-shirt featuring a white Popcorn for the People logo print on the front, available in sizes S through XXL at $20.00. The shirt is printed by Spectrum Designs, a company employing autistic adults.
• Seaside Caramel Popcorn Tub A large bulk tub of Seaside Caramel popcorn for sharing, suitable for events or large gatherings.
• Wholesale Bulk Bags and Cases Bulk popcorn sold in 2-gallon bags (approximately 10 individual bags per bulk bag) and cases of 40 individual bags available to wholesale account holders for events, retail resale, movie nights, and parties. Requires wholesale account application and approval.
• Corporate Gifting Program Custom corporate gift orders for events, employee appreciation, and business gifting through dedicated wholesale accounts, offering customizable popcorn assortments for businesses that want socially responsible gifting options.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every 5000 bags funds 1 job for a year for an adult with autism
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eagles Autism FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Eagles Autism Foundation and Wawa to open a permanent sales kiosk at Lincoln Financial Field (2023) and a new Production Facility in Philadelphia (2024). The foundation provided generous support enabling these facilities.
• WawacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Wawa and Eagles Autism Foundation to support neurodiverse employment. Wawa contributed to opening the stadium kiosk and Philadelphia production facility. Additionally, Wawa serves as a retail distribution partner for Popcorn for the People products.
• NouyronminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner in the Eagles Autism Foundation and Wawa collaboration to open the stadium kiosk and Philadelphia production facility.
• WegmanscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional grocery chain retail partner distributing Popcorn for the People gourmet popcorn products in their stores, expanding consumer access to the product line.
• WawacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConvenience store chain retail partner distributing Popcorn for the People products, making them available to Wawa's customer base across their store locations.
• Spectrum DesignsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom merchandise partner that prints Popcorn for the People t-shirts. Spectrum Designs is a company that employs autistic adults, aligning with the organization's mission.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 479° Popcorn: Chef-crafted gourmet popcorn brand with multiple flavor profiles. Comparable on premium small-batch popcorn positioning, flavor variety, and DTC/gift-box channel mix.
• Pipcorn Heirloom Snacks: Premium small-batch popcorn and snack brand sold DTC and through retail. Closely comparable on product category (gourmet popcorn), DTC-first distribution, and emphasis on small-batch/quality positioning.
• Thelma's Treats: Social-purpose cookie and baked-goods brand that employs and empowers individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Most directly comparable on the mission/employment-for-disabilities social-enterprise model, even though the product category is cookies rather than popcorn.
• Greyston Bakery: Social enterprise bakery famous for its 'Open Hiring' model that employs individuals facing barriers to work, supplying brands like Ben & Jerry's. Comparable on the mission-driven employment model and B2B/wholesale go-to-market motion, though in baked goods rather than popcorn.
• Popcorn Indiana: Gourmet popcorn brand sold in bags and multipacks through grocery and DTC. Comparable on product (popcorn-first portfolio), pricing tier, and retail/wholesale distribution model.
• POPCO: Premium popcorn DTC brand offering curated flavors and snack boxes. Comparable on premium DTC popcorn positioning, gift/box merchandising, and direct subscription-style offerings.
• Cornicello Popcorn: Small-batch gourmet popcorn brand with multiple flavor profiles sold DTC and wholesale. Comparable on handcrafted production, flavor variety, and gift/subscription merchandising approach.

Broad incumbents

• Kettle Brand: Established mainstream kettle-cooked popcorn brand (part of Campbell Snacks / Sovos Brands). Comparable on kettle-style popcorn product overlap and grocery/wholesale shelf competition, though at substantially larger scale.
• SkinnyPop: One of the largest popcorn brands in the US (owned by The Hershey Company via Amplify). Comparable as a mainstream gourmet popcorn competitor occupying the same shelf and DTC consideration set, though at significantly larger scale.
• Lesser Evil Snacks: Premium better-for-you snack brand spanning popcorn and other categories. Comparable as a scaled premium snack competitor in similar natural/grocery channels, though with a broader portfolio beyond popcorn.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PopcornForPeople
• Instagraminstagram.com/popcornforthepeople
• Xx.com/popcorn4people

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Popcorn for the People