The Mad Popper
The Mad Popper is a single-location gourmet popcorn retailer in Durham, NC, founded in 2008 and owned by Andrea Ginsberg since 2011. It sells freshly popped popcorn in 40+ flavors — eight signature SKUs plus rotating weekly, seasonal, and holiday varieties — through its Homestead Market storefront and a Square online store, serving local individual consumers and event/gift buyers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What The Mad Popper does
The Mad Popper is a single-location gourmet popcorn retailer based in Durham, North Carolina, operating since 2008 and owned by Andrea Ginsberg since June 1, 2011. The company produces and sells freshly popped popcorn across more than 40 flavor variants — eight permanent signature SKUs (Classic, Yellow Cheddar, Caramel, The Mad Popper Blend, Q-Corn BarBQ, White Cheddar, Jalapeno Cheddar, Confetti), seasonal flavors (Maple, Sweet Tea), more than 30 rotating weekly sweet and savory specialties, and limited December holiday flavors. Distribution is primarily through a physical storefront inside Homestead Market at 105 W. NC-54, Suite 259, supplemented by a Square-powered online ordering site (themadpopper.square.site) for standard bag sizes, with large bags, tins and party favors fulfilled in-store or by phone. A tin refill program targets repeat, sustainability-minded customers, and the facility is nut-free with disclosed allergen handling.
The business operates a direct-to-consumer, one-time unit-pricing revenue model with no subscription, licensing or wholesale revenue disclosed and no public pricing posted online. Customer segments are primarily individual local consumers and event/gift buyers in the Durham-RTP area, plus online individual buyers. Marketing is conducted through owned channels — Instagram (@themadpopperdurham), Facebook, X, and a Mailchimp newsletter — rather than paid acquisition. The company has no outside investment, no parent organization, no subsidiaries, no patents, no AI or API product surface, and 11 total employees, consistent with a small, founder-run single-unit retailer.
The Mad Popper firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Mad Popper
- Legal name
- The Mad Popper
- Website
- https://themadpopper.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Mad Popper is a single-location gourmet popcorn retailer in Durham, NC, founded in 2008 and owned by Andrea Ginsberg since 2011. It sells freshly popped popcorn in 40+ flavors — eight signature SKUs plus rotating weekly, seasonal, and holiday varieties — through its Homestead Market storefront and a Square online store, serving local individual consumers and event/gift buyers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Mad Popper industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Gourmet Popcorn / Snack Foods
- NAICS
- Confectionery and Nut Retailers (445292), Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)
- SIC
- Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gourmet Popcorn & Caramel Corn Shops (THAFAGAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Popcorn & Puffed Snacks (CRADABAH), Popcorn Manufacturing (AFAKAIAC)
Keywords
Where The Mad Popper is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Mad Popper business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Popcorn Sales: The Mad Popper generates revenue primarily through direct retail sales of gourmet popcorn from their physical storefront in Durham, NC. They offer various sizes including bags, tins, and party favors. Online orders are processed through their Square e-commerce site, though large bags, tins, and party favors are only available for in-store or phone ordering. The company also promotes tin refills for environmental sustainability and repeat business.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Various popcorn sizes and containers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Mad Popper product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Mad Popper is a Durham, NC-based gourmet popcorn shop that pops fresh popcorn daily and coats it in over 40 proprietary flavors, including eight signature year-round flavors, seasonal flavors, and weekly rotating specialty flavors. Products are sold in bags, tins, and party favors through a single physical retail storefront at Homestead Market and through an online ordering site powered by Square, with bulk orders also accepted by phone.
Product overview
The Mad Popper is a gourmet popcorn shop offering over 40 different flavors. The core product lineup consists of eight signature flavors (Classic, Yellow Cheddar, Caramel, The Mad Popper Blend, Q-Corn BarBQ, White Cheddar, Jalapeno Cheddar, and Confetti) available year-round, supplemented by seasonal flavors (Maple for Fall/Winter, Sweet Tea for Spring/Summer). Specialty rotating weekly flavors span both sweet (16 varieties) and savory (15 varieties) categories, with additional holiday-exclusive flavors available in December. Products are sold in-store and online via Square e-commerce, with offerings including bags, tins, and party favors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Signature Flavors (8 Core Flavors) The Mad Popper's eight permanent gourmet popcorn flavors: Classic (buttery with hint of salt), Yellow Cheddar Cheese (sharp cheddar), Caramel (most popular, smooth and decadent), The Mad Popper Blend (caramel, white and yellow cheddar combo), Q-Corn BarBQ (BBQ with a kick), White Cheddar (melted white cheddar), Jalapeno Cheddar (smooth and spicy), and Confetti (fruity burst of color). Sold in-store and online to individual consumers and event/party buyers.
- Seasonal Flavors Rotating seasonal popcorn flavors tied to specific times of year, including Maple (Fall and Winter) and Sweet Tea (Spring and Summer, with a hint of lemon). Sold in-store and online to individual consumers.
- Rotating Weekly Specialty Flavors Weekly rotating specialty popcorn flavors split into Sweet (Black Cherry, Chocolate Cherry, Hot Cinnamon, Piña Colada, Cinnamon and Sugar, Espresso, Pumpkin Spice, Apple Pie, French Toast, Strawberry Margarita, Honey BBQ, Pucker Up Watermelon, Sour Power, Apples and Honey, Pumpkin Spiced Caramel, Coffee Glaze) and Savory (Cajun, Cheesy Pizza, Cheesy Taco, Chili Cheese Fry, Dill Pickle, Habanero Maple Bourbon, Hot Wings and Ranch, Parmesan Garlic, Lemon Pepper, Old Bay, Salt and Vinegar, Sour Cream and Onion, Sweet Chili, Queso, Yum Yum Chili Crisp). Designed to create urgency and repeat visits among local and online customers.
- Holiday Flavors Limited edition December holiday popcorn flavors including Candy Cane, Hot Cocoa, Gingerbread, and Cherry/Green Apple Mix, sold seasonally in-store and online.
- Tin Refill Service In-store tin refill program where customers bring their own tins back to be refilled with any flavor, supporting environmental sustainability and repeat business.
Companies that use The Mad Popper
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Mad Popper technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Mad Popper partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Mad Popper competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Opopop: Opopop is a D2C brand selling 'flavor-wrapped' popcorn kernels and curated flavor pouches for home popping. It targets gourmet-popcorn enthusiasts and occupies adjacent territory with The Mad Popper by enabling home gourmet preparation, partially competing for the same premium-flavor popcorn consumer.
- Pipcorn (Tiny But Mighty Popcorn): Pipcorn/Tiny But Mighty Popcorn is a premium heirloom-popcorn CPG brand with strong D2C and natural-channel grocery presence. It overlaps with The Mad Popper on premium popcorn positioning and gifting appeal, while competing primarily through packaged retail rather than a fresh-shop model.
Broad incumbents
- Bassett's Candies: Bassett's is a heritage confectionery retailer with both physical stores and online shipping for gift assortments and sweet snacks. It overlaps with The Mad Popper on the local-candy-shop, gift-tin, and seasonal-snack occasions, though with broader confectionery focus.
- Nuts.com: Nuts.com is an online specialty snack retailer offering gourmet popcorn, nuts, and confectionery shipped nationwide. It competes with The Mad Popper for gourmet-popcorn gifting and online snack occasions, though across a much wider snack assortment.
- Cracker Jack: Cracker Jack is a legacy mass-market caramel popcorn snack brand owned by Frito-Lay. It sits at the opposite end of the popcorn spectrum from The Mad Popper—mass-produced, low-cost—but competes for the casual popcorn-snack occasion and sets reference pricing in the category.
- SkinnyPop Popcorn: SkinnyPop is a nationally distributed CPG popcorn brand occupying the healthier/snackable popcorn shelf at grocery. It does not directly compete in fresh gourmet retail but defines the mainstream context in which The Mad Popper operates and competes for consumer share of snack occasions.
Direct peers
- Garrett Popcorn Shops: Garrett Popcorn is a Chicago-origin gourmet popcorn chain with physical retail locations and a strong brand around signature caramel and cheese popcorn mixes. It competes in the same premium-popcorn, in-store-sampling, gift-tin retail category that The Mad Popper operates in, though at much broader geographic scale.
- The Popcorn Factory: The Popcorn Factory is a long-established D2C gourmet popcorn retailer specializing in gift tins, holiday assortments, and curated flavor collections shipped nationwide. It directly competes with The Mad Popper for the popcorn-gifting and occasion-snacking occasions, although at far greater scale and with broader shipping infrastructure.
- Popcorn Palace: Popcorn Palace operates as an online direct-to-consumer gourmet popcorn retailer with branded tins, corporate gifting programs, and flavor variety comparable to The Mad Popper. Both compete for personalized gift-tin and party-favor occasions, with Popcorn Palace having a much larger shipping footprint.
- Just Pop In: Just Pop In is a regional gourmet popcorn retailer offering mix-and-match flavors, custom tins, and in-store sampling—essentially the same 'shop-and-pop' model with curated flavor variety as The Mad Popper. They are a relevant comp on the local-boutique, D2C gourmet popcorn playbook.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Mad Popper social profiles
Digital presenceThe Mad Popper financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Mad Popper leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Mad Popper funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Mad Popper M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Mad Popper
What does The Mad Popper do?
The Mad Popper is a Durham, NC-based gourmet popcorn shop that pops fresh popcorn daily and coats it in over 40 proprietary flavors, including eight signature year-round flavors, seasonal flavors, and weekly rotating specialty flavors. Products are sold in bags, tins, and party favors through a single physical retail storefront at Homestead Market and through an online ordering site powered by Square, with bulk orders also accepted by phone.
Is The Mad Popper a public or private company?
The Mad Popper is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Mad Popper founded?
The Mad Popper was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Mad Popper based?
The Mad Popper is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Mad Popper make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Popcorn Sales.
Who are The Mad Popper's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Opopop and Pipcorn (Tiny But Mighty Popcorn). Broad incumbents are Bassett's Candies, Nuts.com, Cracker Jack and SkinnyPop Popcorn. Direct peers are Garrett Popcorn Shops, The Popcorn Factory, Popcorn Palace and Just Pop In.
Does The Mad Popper have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Mad Popper.
What industry is The Mad Popper in?
The Mad Popper's product category is Gourmet Popcorn / Snack Foods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAGAM, Gourmet Popcorn & Caramel Corn Shops, with a secondary code of CRADABAH, Popcorn & Puffed Snacks. Its NAICS code is 445292 and its SIC code is 2060.