Jolly Time

What Jolly Time does

Jolly Time is the consumer brand of American Pop Corn Company, a privately held, family-owned popcorn manufacturer founded in 1914 by Cloid H. Smith in Sioux City, Iowa, and currently in its fifth generation of Smith family ownership under Chairman Carlton P. Smith. The company manufactures and distributes microwave popcorn, unpopped kernels (yellow, white, organic, and Select gourmet varieties), bulk and concession supplies (kernels, oils, salts, bags, and JOLLY TIME Paragon commercial poppers), and a small line of branded novelty accessories. Core product technology centers on proprietary formulations including a trans-fat-free Smart Balance oil blend, the Weight Watchers-endorsed Healthy Pop line (94% fat free, 100-calorie mini bags equal to 3 Weight Watchers points), and Insta-Bowl popping bag technology used in KettleMania products. The company sources popcorn under long-term contracts from multi-generational Midwest farm families across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, with some grower relationships dating back to 1914.

Jolly Time operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce through jollytime.com, third-party marketplace sales on Amazon and Walmart+, traditional retail distribution through grocery chains such as Hy-Vee, Jewel, and Fareway, and dedicated international distribution across 23 countries anchored by a New York export sales office. A separate Bulk & Concessions wholesale channel serves commercial popcorn machine operators including theaters, stadiums, amusement parks, and event venues. Customer segments include family consumer snackers (primary), health-conscious consumers (primary, served via Healthy Pop), traditional kernel buyers, and bulk/concession operators. Pricing is unit-based across retail tiers with multi-year contract structures for bulk commercial accounts, and the company does not publicly disclose pricing on its own website. The company actively markets through a "The Official Snack of Happiness" brand positioning, a 217+ recipe content library, email newsletters, social media, and historical TV commercial campaigns dating from 1970 to 2019.

The company continues to release new SKUs (Jalapeño Butter in October 2024, Healthy Pop Kettle Corn Minis in January 2025, a microwave popcorn variety pack in August 2024) and refreshed packaging on its core Butter line in May 2024, indicating active product investment. Headcount is reported in the 101–250 range. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and there are no identified funding rounds, acquisitions, mergers, parent companies, or subsidiaries — the entity operates as an independent, family-controlled CPG manufacturer with no disclosed institutional or private equity ownership.

Name

Jolly Time

Legal name

American Pop Corn Company

Website

https://jollytime.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Jolly Time is a fifth-generation, family-owned popcorn manufacturer founded in 1914 in Sioux City, Iowa, producing microwave popcorn, unpopped kernels, and bulk concession supplies for consumer and commercial customers across all 50 US states and 23 international countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Popcorn and Snack Foods

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Popcorn & Puffed Snacks (CRADABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Popcorn Manufacturing (AFAKAIAC)

Keywords

• Microwave popcorn
• Popcorn kernels
• Snack foods
• Concession supplies
• Wholesale popcorn

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Consumer Sales: JOLLY TIME sells popcorn products directly to consumers through their official website jollytime.com, offering shipping directly to homes. Products include microwave popcorn, kernels, and novelty items.
2. Retail/Wholesale Distribution: Products sold through major retail chains including Amazon, Walmart, Hy-Vee, Jewel, and Fareway. Revenue generated from wholesale orders to physical retail stores.
3. Bulk & Concessions: Wholesale popcorn products and equipment for commercial popcorn machines in theaters, venues, and concession stands. Includes kernels, oils, salts, bags, cartons, and commercial poppers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jolly Time (American Pop Corn Company) manufactures and sells popcorn products including microwave popcorn varieties (Blast O Butter, Simply Popped, Xtra Butter, Butter, Healthy Pop, Kettle Corn, The Big Cheez), unpopped kernels (Yellow, White, Organic, Select), and a Bulk & Concessions line (kernels, oils, salts, bags, cartons, commercial poppers) for theaters and venues. The company also sells branded novelty accessories such as coolers, growlers, candles, apparel, and popcorn-making tools through its e-commerce site.

Product overview

JOLLY TIME is a family-owned popcorn company (American Pop Corn Company, established 1914) offering a diversified portfolio of popcorn products centered around its core microwave popcorn lines (Blast O Butter, Simply Popped, Xtra Butter, Butter, Crispy 'n White) and Healthy Pop reduced-fat line, supplemented by Sweet & Savory flavors (Kettle Corn, The Big Cheez, White Cheddar, Jalapeno Butter), unpopped kernels (Yellow, White, Organic, Select varieties), and commercial Bulk & Concessions supplies. The company also sells novelty accessories (thermoses, growlers, coolers, apparel) through its e-commerce platform. Products are sold directly through its official website and via authorized retail partners including Amazon and Walmart.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blast O Butter Microwave Popcorn Flagship microwave popcorn with movie theater style extra buttery flavor; aimed at home snackers and movie night consumers.
• Simply Popped Butter Microwave Popcorn Microwave popcorn with a four-ingredient recipe (popcorn, butter, sea salt, oil) targeted at clean-label consumers.
• Simply Popped Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn Three-ingredient microwave popcorn (popcorn, sea salt, palm oil) for clean-label consumers.
• Xtra Butter Microwave Popcorn Extra buttery microwave popcorn made with the trans-fat free Smart Balance oil blend for butter lovers.
• Butter Microwave Popcorn Classic buttery microwave popcorn flavored with real butter; 100% whole grain with 0g trans fat.
• Crispy 'n White Microwave Popcorn Natural whole grain microwave popcorn with delicate natural flavor using tender white popcorn kernels.
• Healthy Pop Butter Microwave Popcorn 94% fat free microwave popcorn endorsed by Weight Watchers; 2 grams of fat per serving and high in fiber for health-conscious consumers.
• Healthy Pop Butter 100 Calorie Mini Bags 100 calorie mini bags of low-fat butter and sea salt popcorn equal to 3 Weight Watchers points; portion-controlled for weight management.
• Healthy Pop Kettle Corn Minis 100 calorie mini bags of sweet and salty kettle corn equal to 3 Weight Watchers points; portion-controlled healthy snacking.
• Healthy Pop Crispy 'n White Microwave Popcorn 94% fat free natural flavor popcorn; 3 Weight Watchers points per serving for health-conscious consumers.
• Kettle Corn Microwave Popcorn Sweet and salty gourmet kettle corn microwave popcorn in county fair style.
• The Big Cheez Microwave Popcorn Gourmet cheddar cheese flavored microwave popcorn with gluten-free, non-GMO kernels.
• White Cheddar Microwave Popcorn White cheddar cheese flavored microwave popcorn variety in the Sweet & Savory line.
• Jalapeño Butter Microwave Popcorn Spicy jalapeño and butter flavored microwave popcorn in the Sweet & Savory line.
• Yellow Popcorn Kernels Whole grain, non-GMO and gluten-free popping corn kernels for air poppers, stovetop, or campfire popping.
• White Popcorn Kernels Tender white natural flavor butterfly kernels for stovetop or air popper preparation.
• Organic Yellow Popcorn Kernels

Quantifiable outcome

• Available in all 50 US states and 23 different countries
• +3 more outcomes

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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Multi-generational Midwest Farm FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJOLLY TIME partners with multiple multi-generational farm families across the Midwest (Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota) who grow popcorn under long-term contracts. Growers include: Dru Kenny (Schaller, IA), Hogue Family (Odebolt, IA since 1914), Kent & Isaac Bowers (West Bend, SD since 1981), Dave Hansen Family (Crescent, IA since 1982), Pat Green Family (Homer, NE since 1930s), Anderson Family (Elgin, NE since 1975), Jason Dahl (Sloan, IA), Eric & Gene Chohon (O'Neill, NE), and Dan Drenkhahn (Mapleton, IA). These relationships span multiple generations of both the Smith family and grower families.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Quinn Snacks: Clean-label microwave popcorn and pretzel snacks brand. Directly comparable to Jolly Time's Simply Popped clean-ingredient line in the better-for-you microwave segment, with overlapping retailer placement.
• Pipcorn: Premium heirloom popcorn snack brand sold in natural and specialty channels. Comparable to Jolly Time's Select gourmet kernels and Organic Yellow lines in targeting premium snacking consumers seeking non-GMO, traceable ingredients.
• Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP: Premium popcorn brand (acquired by Conagra in 2017) competing in kettle corn and better-for-you popcorn segments. Comparable to Jolly Time's Kettle Corn and Healthy Pop lines, with stronger millennial and natural channel positioning.
• SkinnyPop: Acquired by Amplify Snack Brands and now owned by Hershey, SkinnyPop leads the better-for-you/pre-popped popcorn segment. Highly comparable to Jolly Time's Healthy Pop line in addressing health-conscious consumers but with stronger natural foods channel presence.

Direct peers

• Smartfood: PepsiCo-owned microwave popcorn brand competing head-to-head in the same retail channels. Highly comparable in product format (single-serve microwave bags), target consumer (family snackers), and distribution model.
• Popcorn Indiana: Pre-popped popcorn and kettle corn brand competing in the ready-to-eat popcorn segment. Comparable to Jolly Time's Kettle Corn and pre-popped snack categories, with overlap in kettle corn flavor profiles.
• Pop Secret: Direct competitor in the microwave popcorn category with similar flavor variety and retail distribution. Owned by Campbell Soup Company (now Sovos Brands/RB Food Group), positioning it as a like-for-like competitor in the same shelf space.
• Weaver Popcorn: Indiana-based family popcorn company (founded 1928) supplying bulk kernels, microwave, and concession popcorn. Direct comparable as another multi-generational family popcorn business serving both retail and B2B concession channels.

Others

• Newman's Own: Family-founded CPG company (not family-owned now) known for premium, mission-driven snacks. Comparable as another heritage consumer brand with strong storytelling, though broader food portfolio beyond popcorn.

Broad incumbents

• Conagra Brands: Owner of Orville Redenbacher, Act II, and Jiffy Pop, Conagra is the dominant US microwave popcorn incumbent. Directly comparable to Jolly Time in core microwave popcorn and kernels but operates at vastly greater scale across a broad CPG portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jollytimepops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Jolly Time