According to DeRon Ragland who co-owns PopCorn Haven, one snack that Americans consume more than any other is popcorn! Brothers DeRon and Deon Ragland of Chicago, opened their first store in Calhoun,Ga. in June of 2009. Deon had been laid off of his corporate job as a manager at a chemical company and decided to relocate in Georgia. DeRon decided on the move south in September 2010. Now they own four stores and expansion plans include seven more stores over the next two years. The Raglands currently employ 18 people and plans to franchise Popcorn Haven are in the making. Rolling out sat down with one of the entrepreneurial siblings and talked with them about the business concept, doubters and all that tasty flavored popcorn.
Who’s idea was it to open a popcorn business, you or your brother?
DeRon: I was praying about opening a business, but couldn’t think of anything. Then one day popcorn hit me. I went to the computer and did some research on it and that was it.
When you decided to open a popcorn business, what did your friends and family think?
Oh wow, no one believed in us. They said ‘it wouldn’t last, no one was going to buy, we would be closed in a few months.’ No one thought that it was a good idea. Today we have served over 100,000 customers.
What makes your popcorn so popular? Well, we have over 500 flavors. We have blackberry cobbler popcorn, crab legs, bacon & eggs, hot wings, strawberry cheesecake, captain crunch, coco puffs and the list goes on.Our number one flavor is our cheese coated caramel.
What are your future plans for the company? We plan on expanding very soon.We have four stores open now, but plan to have seven more stores open by 2014. Our goal is to have 100 stores up and running within five years. So we have 93 more stores to go! We just started franchising too, and you can purchase a store under your own name.
Any advice for people out there thinking about opening a business? We are a faith based company. We are closed on Sundays for worship. We pray over everything we do. God has truly blessed us, pray and it will happen.
For further info: www.popcornhaven.com
