In less than three years, Popcorn Remix has become a fixture at Atlanta’s major sporting venues, from Mercedes-Benz Stadium to Truist Park. Popcorn Remix is also the official sponsor of Birthday Bash this year, cementing their status in the city. Co-founders Ryan Richmond and Greg Bowman have reimagined what popcorn can be and they were our latest guests on The Business Exchange, where they discussed what they hope will become “the Baskin-Robbins of popcorn.”
Why Popcorn? There are so many other foods and drinks. You could have even opened a movie theater in Atlanta. Why did you guys want to do popcorn?
Ryan: I think it was destiny. The whole story starts with my grandfather Chester. You see Chester everywhere — this is Chester. My grandfather passed away, and I went to Illinois where I’m from, to his funeral. After the funeral, I got snowed into a popcorn shop. It was snowing, and I chose to sit there in a popcorn shop.
Why did you sit in the popcorn shop? Why didn’t you go home?
Ryan: I was in a rental car. I had an upgraded rental car with insurance. I said, I’m not going to drive this car in the snow. So, I chose to sit in the popcorn shop with some nice people, and I learned the popcorn game. It could have been a tire shop. It could have been a waxing shop. I just needed somewhere to sit. But it happened to be popcorn. I was like, man, we can do popcorn. We can do crab legs and banana pudding and butter pecan. Butter pecan. Jerk chicken. And we can do it a whole different way.
From being snowed in at a popcorn shop to having 50 flavors now, what is each of your favorite flavors and why?
Greg: My favorite flavor changes from day to day. Yesterday, it was the Taste of Chocolate, which is caramel, chocolate and nuts. But then this morning, I took a little taste of that DTP. The DTP is the red one, it’s nice and tangy. And the crazy thing about the Disturbing The Peace is only three people know what’s in it.
Ryan: I think mine would be butter pecan. That’s been consistent for me. I’ll mess around a little here and there, but that butter pecan is my go-to. Now, I may take some butter pecan, throw in some DTP, add a little cheddar. Make my own little mix.
How did you leverage your music industry connections for marketing?
Greg: That was exactly it. Absolutely, because everybody loves a winner. If you’ve got the two-time heavyweight champion of the world, Shannon Briggs, holding up your popcorn, it’s verified. You need it. And that goes with everybody. This popcorn is taking us all around the world. We were at the White House last summer for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. So, it solidifies that the popcorn is doing something. Now, it’s slowly but surely becoming a household name.
What keeps you motivated during the challenges of entrepreneurship?
Ryan: I know his answer. I want my parents to be able to see it. I want them to be proud. I want them to be able to maybe walk into a store and say, “That’s my son’s.” So, I work a lot. I might move a little faster than my brother probably wants me to.
Greg: But we always bring everything back home. We don’t make any decisions without one another. My motivation is my kids. I make a nice living with my nine-to-five, but just to have something that’s your own—I went to career day at my son’s school last week, and I was the featured star of the whole school, all because of this popcorn, because of Chester. My son was so excited as a fourth-grader, like, “Dad, everybody’s talking about you.”
What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs?
Greg: First thing I would say, and I say it all the time, is that dreams don’t expire. So, there’s no rush. Quincy Jones produced “Thriller” at age 50. What if he would have given up at 49 and a half? We would have never had the greatest album of all time.
Ryan: Tyler Perry, he didn’t do his thing until he was later in life. So, I would say the biggest thing is do something that you love. If you’re going to do it just because, then don’t do it. … Everything that you want to do don’t cost money. But it costs time. It costs brain energy. It costs emotions. It costs frustration. … You’ve got to love to do it. Just like a parent loves their child and will do anything for their child. That’s how you want to feel about whatever you choose to do. And map it out. If you choose to do something, write it out.
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