What Clark's Snacks does

Clark's Snacks is a mid-size US manufacturer of microwave and jar popcorn headquartered in New Albany, Indiana, operating under the legal entity Jones Popcorn, Inc. The company runs six microwave processing lines and one jar processing line at a single integrated facility that includes 20,000 square feet of manufacturing space and more than 70,000 square feet of warehouse storage, producing over 500,000 microwave bags per day and more than 95 million bags annually across 300+ flavor and SKU combinations.

The business operates four distinct go-to-market channels. The primary channel is turn-key private label manufacturing for large national and international consumer brands, in which Clark's handles the full supply chain from raw materials through shipping. Secondary channels include co-pack manufacturing for brands that supply their own materials, direct sales of Clark's branded popcorn in retail and bulk pack configurations, and custom printed logo bags for organizations and events with minimum order quantities of 500 bags for standard flavors and 25,000 bags for specialty flavors. Customers are served globally, with products shipped to more than 40 countries.

The company holds BRC Global Standard for Food Safety (Issue 7) and Orthodox Union Kosher certifications, which serve as gating credentials for large brand private label contracts. Originally founded in 1942, Clark's was acquired by the Jones Family in 1992 and has since grown plant output more than eightfold, including a four-fold facility expansion completed in 2009. The company employs 51-100 people and remains privately held under family ownership, with no external institutional investors or public listing disclosed.

Name

Clark's Snacks

Legal name

Jones Popcorn, Inc.

Website

https://clarksnacks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Clark's Snacks is a family-owned New Albany, Indiana manufacturer of microwave and jar popcorn operating four channels: turn-key private label manufacturing for large national and international brands, co-pack services, direct Clark's brand sales, and custom printed logo bags, producing over 95 million bags annually for 75+ customers across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Snack Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Popcorn Manufacturing (AFAKAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Popcorn & Puffed Snacks (CRADABAH), Specialty Snack Foods Manufacturing (Ethnic/Regional, Gourmet, Functional) (AFAKAIAO)

Keywords

• Microwave popcorn manufacturing
• Private label snacks
• Contract packaging services
• Co-pack manufacturing
• Jar popcorn production

Headquarters

HQ city

New Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Private Label Manufacturing: Manufacturing microwave popcorn under customer brand names, handling entire supply chain from raw materials through shipping
2. Co-Pack Services: Manufacturing services where customers supply their own materials and packaging, with Clark's handling production
3. Clark's Brand Products: Direct sales of company's own branded popcorn products in various flavors and package configurations
4. Custom Printed Bags: Custom logo bag orders with printing services, minimum order quantities apply

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Clark's Snacks is a mid-size manufacturer of microwave and jar popcorn based in New Albany, Indiana. The company produces popcorn in multiple flavors (Butter, Extra Butter, Light Butter, Natural, Light Natural, Hot N Spicy, Cheddar Cheese, Kettle, 94% Fat Free Butter) and packaging configurations (3-pack, 6-pack, 10-pack, bulk, jars) for four distinct channels: private label manufacturing for national/international brands, co-pack services, Clark's Brand direct sales, and custom printed logo bags.

Product overview

Clark's Snacks is a mid-size microwave and jar popcorn manufacturer offering a portfolio of products and services. The core offering consists of Microwave Popcorn and Jar Popcorn, available in multiple flavors (Butter, Extra Butter, Light Butter, Natural, Light Natural, Hot N Spicy, Cheddar Cheese, Kettle, 94% Fat Free Butter, Strawberry, and Pareve Natural). These are sold through four distinct channels: Clark's Brand (their own label), Private Label (turn-key service for national brands), Co-Pack (customer-supplied materials), and Custom Logo Bags (custom printed packaging). The company manufactures over 500,000 microwave bags per day across 6 processing lines and serves over 75 customers across 40+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Microwave Popcorn Core product manufactured in multiple flavors (Butter, Extra Butter, Light Butter, Natural, Light Natural, Hot N Spicy, Cheddar Cheese, Kettle, 94% Fat Free Butter) and packaging configurations including 3 Pack, 6 Pack, 10 Pack, Bulk 50 Pack, 12/18/24 Pack Tray, and Bulk 3,500 Pack Bin.
• Jar Popcorn Traditional jar-packaged popcorn available in pint and quart sizes, produced on a dedicated jar processing line.
• Private Label Manufacturing Full turn-key private label service where Clark's handles the entire supply chain from raw materials through shipping for some of the largest national and international brands.
• Co-Pack Manufacturing Contract manufacturing service where customers send their own materials and packaging, and Clark's packages them using their manufacturing equipment.
• Custom Logo Bags Custom printed bags featuring customer logos with up to 4 PMS color matches per layout, with average two-week lead time. Minimum order quantities: 500 bags for standard flavors, 25,000 bags for specialty flavors. Tooling charges required for initial setup.
• Clark's Brand Popcorn Company's own branded popcorn products sold directly to consumers and resellers in various flavors and package configurations (3-pack, 6-pack, 10-pack, bulk packs, and jars).

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity increased over 8x since 1992 acquisition (from 60,000 to 500,000+ bags per day)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Pop Corn Company (Jolly Time): Family-owned U.S. popcorn brand and manufacturer of microwave and popped popcorn products. Direct comparable as a long-standing, privately held popcorn manufacturer competing in the same microwave popcorn category with similar B2B and B2C channels.
• Pop Weaver: U.S. contract manufacturer of microwave popcorn serving private label and foodservice customers. Direct comparable to Clark's private label and co-pack business model with overlapping customer profiles and product formats.
• Bachman Company: Diversified contract manufacturer of private label snacks including pretzels, chips, and crackers. Comparable as a fellow U.S. private label snack co-manufacturer serving similar enterprise customers with shared private label GTM and multi-SKU flexibility.
• Pretzels Inc. Specialty snack contract manufacturer focused on private label pretzels, chips, and related snack foods. Comparable as a U.S. private label snack co-manufacturer competing for the same private label RFPs and retail customer relationships.
• Hometown Food Company: Private label and co-manufacturer of shelf-stable baked goods and snacks. Comparable as a fellow mid-size U.S. private label snack manufacturer with similar multi-category capabilities, customer mix, and GTM model.

Broad incumbents

• ConAgra Brands: Major packaged food conglomerate owning Orville Redenbacher, Act II, Jiffy Pop and other microwave popcorn brands. Comparable as the dominant branded microwave popcorn player and a likely Clark's private label customer or competitor for the same retail shelf space.

Emerging players

• Diamond Foods (SkinnyPop): Owns the SkinnyPop ready-to-eat popcorn brand, a category disruptor competing for the same popcorn-eating occasion. Relevant comparable as a competing popcorn business with stronger brand investment and shelf presence in a category adjacent to Clark's microwave focus.
• Quinn Snacks: Better-for-you snack brand with a popcorn product line focused on clean-label, non-GMO, and organic positioning. Comparable as an emerging player capitalizing on the same consumer shift toward healthier popcorn that Clark's is trying to address with its 94% Fat Free and Natural SKUs.
• Pipcorn Snacks: Specialty popcorn and snack brand using heirloom corn varieties positioned in the natural/gourmet channel. Relevant comparable as a small-batch, better-for-you popcorn brand expanding into retail and online channels that compete for the same popcorn consumer.

Regional players

• Wege Pretzel / Hanover Foods: U.S. packaged snack manufacturer with private label and branded pretzel/popcorn product lines. Comparable as a regional private label snack co-manufacturer competing for similar retail and foodservice customers with overlapping product formats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Clark's Snacks