Original Popcorn House, Popping Up All Over

Original Popcorn House Popping

Up All Over

by Elizabeth Denham

One of Jerri Witt’s greatest goals is to “wow” her customers. And that is just what she does as the Owner and Franchisor of the Original Popcorn House.

“Being a Midwesterner - I’m from Chicago - I always had access to gourmet popcorn. It is very, very popular out there,” Witt said. “And when we moved to Delray Beach, Florida, we were walking downtown – which is like a typical, small-town ‘Main Street, USA.’ They had everything – boutiques, clothing stores, cupcake shops, macaroon shops – but they didn’t have gourmet popcorn. So I knew what I wanted to do.”

And do it, she did. She opened her storefront 30 feet off the main drag of Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, and the business started popping from there. The Original Popcorn House features fabulous flavors of gourmet popcorn, sweet chocolate treats, frosted pralines and the one and only “Popcorn Sundae.”

“Our gourmet popcorn is served fresh each day and features only the finest and freshest ingredients,” Witt noted. “We pop our corn in 100% pure coconut oil. Our premium Belgian chocolate allows us to create gourmet delectable popcorn flavors such as Dark Chocolate Sea Salt and Peanut Butter Chocolate Drizzle. We also ship anywhere in the U.S.”

It took one year to build the concept, and she opened her doors on December 31, 2014, at 3:00 pm. In 2018, she decided to step into franchising. She just opened her third franchise location, and she has more in the pipeline.

“I think the good thing about popcorn is that it is not a saturated market. Gourmet popcorn stores are often missing in areas where they would thrive,” Witt explained. “And Original Popcorn House takes it to

another level. We like to say that it’s popcorn on steroids.”

With 25 to 30 flavors offered at any time and with new flavors being developed monthly, Original Popcorn House is building a following.

“We just opened our third location in Frederick, Maryland, and we served 400 customers in one day. It was the biggest revenue day for an opening so far,” Witt said. “We even developed an ‘Old Bay’ flavor because it’s such a popular seasoning in Maryland. It was a big hit!”

Customization is something that sets Witt’s business apart. They can customize packaging, branding, flavors, labels, colors of popcorn – if it’s possible to do it, Original Popcorn will make it happen. They provide options for parties, corporate events, holiday gifts, gender reveals, charitable events and more.

Offering their franchisees several options for driving revenue is another unique feature Witt thinks sets them apart. Each franchise can sell gourmet popcorn through the retail location, wholesale, catering, fundraising, special events, corporate accounts, and eCommerce.

“Just about everyone loves popcorn, and with our reasonable price point and strong training program, this is a great option for business ownership.” Witt said. “85 percent of people consume popcorn, and of that percentage, each person consumes an average of 52 cups per year,”

85 percent of people consume popcorn, and of that percentage, each person consumes an average of 52 cups per year. Giving Back Jerri Witt very much believes in giving back to her community. Original Popcorn House donates their tips every month to local charities and donates popcorn to support local community events. It supports nonprofits such as City House of Delray Beach, a rehabilitation shelter for women, and Sandaway Discovery Center, a coastal ecosystems and marine life center. “When you see something that pulls at your heartstrings, you give,” Witt said. “

For more information, please visit: www.originalpopcornhouse.com.