Popadelics popularizing mushrooms
Marilyn Yang, the creator of Popadelics, has given traditional shiitake mushrooms a facelift and turned them into mushroom chips.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Yang and her co-founder Michael Casali established Popadelics. The couple became weary of the same snacks they were consuming during lockdowns and looked through the snacking aisle for something better for their health. The two observed a rise in the popularity of mushrooms and meals made with them.
Since we have always loved mushrooms, this really got our creative juices flowing,” Ms. Yang remarked. “We kept seeing mushroom coffee, teas, and other products during this time (COVID-19), so when we were looking for a new snack to try, this (mushrooms) was at the top of our minds.”
Ms. Yang, a Chinese American, grew up loving mushrooms, a vegetable she called a “under-loved veggie.” This was because she grew up eating them with almost every meal.
“We saw an opportunity with mushrooms with Popadelics’ parent company, Fun-Gal Snacks,” the spokesperson stated. While maize and potatoes are abundant in the snack section, nibbling is about more than just those two foods. Many other vegetables, such as mushrooms, would also make delicious snacks.
After using our product, they’re blown away,” she remarked. Our product has a crispiness similar to that of a potato chip or biscuit. After convincing someone that it’s a mushroom, I believe they will become raving fans.Popadelics cooks their mushrooms in a vacuum fryer after tossing them in a mixture of sunflower oil and spice.”Water has a much lower boiling point at high pressure in a vacuum chamber,” Ms. Yang stated. Because it’s cooked at a lower temperature and doesn’t destroy as many nutrients, you can still enjoy the same benefits. Lower cooking temperatures preserve the majority of the product’s nutrition, color, and flavor while using less oil.
Popadelics comes in three flavors: Thai chili, rosemary and salt, and truffle parmesan.Popadelics was first introduced by Ms. Yang and Mr. Casali as a direct-to-consumer business in April 2022, but it quickly became multichannel.”You couldn’t go to stores and get products during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021,” Ms. Yang stated. Thus, we began our business where our clients were—online. We sell to corporate offices as well.
As part of their go-to-market strategy, Popadelics also sells to distributors, wholesalers, and retailers such as Foxtrot and Urban Outfitters.”We also hope to target foodservice customers in the medium term,” Ms. Yang stated.The business used co-packing straight for manufacturing.
We never had a test kitchen phase and we missed a few steps,” Ms. Yang claimed.The brand is less concerned with traditional demographics and more with personas.
“We are aiming to attract individuals who are health-conscious and daring snackers,” Ms. Yang stated. “Every age, gender, and location can be included in the age group.”According to Ms. Yang, the company wants to expand into more stores.
“For us, this is the lowest-hanging fruit,” Ms. Yang stated. We are in the last stages of talks with a number of other typical suspects in terms of major grocery stores, and at least some of those should convert in the near future. We have a significant upcoming launch that will add another 200 doors on the West Coast later this year.
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“I think people have misunderstood mushrooms for far too long,” Ms. Yang remarked. “Those who may believe they are against mushrooms have simply never tried them properly, leading them to write them off as a vegetable. With our product, we hope to demonstrate to consumers that mushrooms are a versatile food with a multitude of uses. Our objective is to popularize mushrooms and provide a healthier snack option.