Pop It Up

Here’s how some thoughtfulness and innovation turned the humble snack into a hot product that gave impetus to what is now a thriving industry poised to touch $15 billion mark by 2023 globally. This compelled many Indian entrepreneurs to follow the global trend.

- Sanchita Dash

Of late cinema-goers could only catch a whiff of the smell of fresh popcorn popping out of the popcorn-maker at multiplexes and single screen-theatres. Indeed, without the 'good old' bucket of popcorn, the experience of immersing oneself in the cinematic world up on the screen remains incomplete.

But that’s passé. Popcorn now has become one of the most popular snacks, no longer a complementary companion to be munched whilst watching movies, sports or your favourite show. It is thus, one can find this humble snack everywhere around — from Indian kiraanawaalas, fancy stores in malls to various online platforms. And it’s not about sweet and salty anymore, popcorn comes in different types of flavors. A testimony to the growing popularity of popcorn is the emergence of a slew of popcorn businesses. What more? The snack even found a place in Oprah’s famous list of favourite things she releases every year.

Globally, brands like Garrett’s popcorn have actually inspired many Indian popcorn brands. Other brands like Doc Popcorn, Popcorn Shed have also made it big with multiple franchises spread across America. A lot of credit for the rise of popcorn business in India can be attributed to Garrett’s, which changed the image of popcorn from a snack meant for binge-watching movies to a great gift you can give your loved ones. With holiday specials and Christmas tins flashing the festive spirit, their packaging itself declares it. The same concept for packaging has flowed into the Indian market as well, where colourful and quirky tins reign supreme.