Liz Cuneo: Hello, I'm Liz Cuneo, Editor in Chief of Healthcare Packaging, here for ProFood World, doing a special interview with Elizabeth from Prospector Popcorn.
So, why don't we start, Elizabeth? Can you tell us who you are and your role at the company?
Elizabeth Gallo: Hi, I'm Elizabeth Gallo, and I work at Prospector Popcorn. I'm the Director of Manufacturing.
Liz Cuneo: Awesome. And how long have you been with the company?
Elizabeth Gallo: It's going on 12 years now, since we first opened.
Liz Cuneo: Wow. Did you work at any other food companies prior to this?
Elizabeth Gallo: No. Food was not my background at all. My husband is in the restaurant business, but I wasn't involved in that. This was just a great opportunity, and I thought, why not? Let's see if it works out.
Liz Cuneo: Cool. I know the company has a unique story. It was a theater at one point, right? Not always a popcorn company. Why don't you talk a little about that and whether you were involved with the theater or came on board when the popcorn business started?
Elizabeth Gallo: The theater is still here in Ridgefield—the Prospector Theater. Our founder and visionary, Valerie Jensen, has a sister with Down syndrome and was involved with a community of people with special needs in the area. At the time, there really wasn't much for them to do beyond activities like visiting a nature center.
She wanted to create more engaging opportunities. One day she was driving down Main Street and saw a derelict building that had once been a movie theater and later a bank. She had a vision of turning it back into a movie theater because there are so many opportunities for meaningful employment there, beyond things like bagging groceries at a local market.
She wanted people to have opportunities to engage with the community through the box office, concessions, and other theater operations. One of those opportunities was making popcorn to sell at the concession stand. That created jobs in production and sales.
The popcorn became really popular. We started doing pop-up events, then launched an online store, and little by little it grew. We eventually outgrew the theater. We started in a tiny 300-square-foot kitchen with one machine, and now we're in a 5,000-square-foot facility, which is exciting.
Liz Cuneo: That had to be quite a change, going from a small theater operation to full manufacturing. What did that process look like? I assume it started very manually.
Elizabeth Gallo: It's still fairly manual, but not in the sense of making caramel in a pot on the stove.
We use 20-gallon caramelizers. We have people making caramel, someone popping popcorn continuously, then mixing the caramel with the popcorn, putting it in the oven, and handling the rest of the process. We also have cheese tumblers, drizzlers, and packagers.
There are still a lot of jobs involved. Automation hasn't replaced those roles.
Liz Cuneo: That makes sense. How did you go about finding the right equipment? It's one thing to make caramel at home, but scaling up is completely different.
Elizabeth Gallo: It took a lot of research, and that was actually exciting for me. I kept asking, "How do we get from here to there?" For example, if we needed to make a lot more popcorn, there had to be equipment out there to help us do it.
We researched, talked to movie theater operators who make popcorn, and looked at what equipment was available. We started with a 5-gallon caramelizer, then a 10-gallon caramelizer, and now we have two 20-gallon caramelizers.
For packaging, my colleague Tara and I attended PACK EXPO. That's where we learned what was needed from a packaging standpoint because we ship popcorn across the country. We're in more than 400 hotels, work with distributors that supply grocery stores, and we also have our e-commerce business.
Liz Cuneo: You were kind enough to send me some samples, and they were delicious.
You mentioned hotels, grocery stores, and e-commerce. How many flavors do you have now?
Elizabeth Gallo: We have eight signature flavors that are available year-round. We also offer seasonal and holiday flavors. Altogether, we have around 20 flavors throughout the year.
Liz Cuneo: Is there a certain percentage of your employee base that has special needs?
Elizabeth Gallo: Yes. The Prospector organization is dedicated to providing meaningful employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. About 85% of people with disabilities are unemployed.
Within our organization, about 75% of employees self-identify as having a disability. Everyone works together in an integrated environment, and we're all called Prospectors.
One of our guiding ideas is helping people turn a passion into a profession. Apparently, mine was making gourmet popcorn. It became a passion, and now it's my profession.
Liz Cuneo: That's really interesting. You mentioned you didn't have a manufacturing or food background. What were you doing before this?
Elizabeth Gallo: I was a stay-at-home mom. As my children got older, I started working part-time while they were in school. The work was so creative and exciting that I eventually moved into a full-time role.
I realized this was really going somewhere and wanted to take it to the next level. The organization supported me every step of the way.
Liz Cuneo: That's great. And the theater is still running?
Elizabeth Gallo: Yes. We're under the same umbrella organization, but the theater and popcorn business operate separately.
Liz Cuneo: Very cool. Looking ahead, do you anticipate anything new for the company in terms of growth or reach?
Elizabeth Gallo: Absolutely. We'd love to become a global brand someday. We know that's a long-term goal.
For now, we're focused on expanding retail distribution along the East Coast and eventually across the country. We're always looking for new ways to grow and innovate.
Our 5,000-square-foot facility already feels almost too small.
Liz Cuneo: Really?
Elizabeth Gallo: Yes. We're growing quickly. The good news is that we now have the capacity we need, and we no longer feel like we're struggling just to keep up. We're in a strong position.
Liz Cuneo: Switching gears a little, the packaged popcorn category has seen a lot of growth over the last couple of decades. Popcorn itself has been around forever, but the ready-to-eat segment has really expanded.
How do you differentiate yourselves from other brands?
Elizabeth Gallo: In my admittedly biased opinion, our popcorn is the best.
We've tried just about everything, and our product is truly homemade. We tested batch after batch and developed our own recipes. Nothing comes from a mix. We use simple, high-quality ingredients.
Not only do customers get an exceptional product, but they're also supporting the Prospector mission. Every bag of popcorn represents jobs that have been created.
We design our own packaging, and all of the artwork is done by our in-house graphic artists. It's an incredible talent pool.
When people purchase our popcorn, they're supporting something that goes far beyond a snack. They're helping spread awareness of a talented and often overlooked workforce. We've built a successful product together, and I think people feel good about supporting that mission.
Liz Cuneo: A strong mission definitely helps set a brand apart. There aren't many companies that have such a clear purpose behind what they do.
How have you seen snacking change over the last 12 years? Any trends that stand out?
Elizabeth Gallo: We recently attended the Sweets & Snacks Expo, and it was interesting to see how much things have changed even from the year before.
Flavor trends continue to evolve, but protein is a huge focus now. Consumers are very health-conscious and selective about what they eat.
Our popcorn is definitely indulgent, with rich chocolate, caramel, and premium ingredients. But consumers know they're getting a high-quality product, and they know their purchase supports a meaningful mission. People are much more thoughtful about their choices today.
Liz Cuneo: Protein is definitely a strong trend. Eating habits have changed dramatically, even in the last five years. It's interesting to see how that affects snacking.
Elizabeth Gallo: Another trend is smaller package sizes. We've been working on that as well. We're developing a smaller bag format that we're hoping to bring to market.
Liz Cuneo: What sizes do you currently offer?
Elizabeth Gallo: We currently have a 3.5-ounce bag, which contains several servings. We're also testing a single-serve bag right now, and hopefully that will be on the market soon.
Liz Cuneo: You mentioned that the popcorn is still largely made and packaged by hand. Have you added any automation for labeling, sealing, or filling?
Elizabeth Gallo: Yes. After attending PACK EXPO last year, we realized that hand-packaging was becoming a bottleneck.
We had increased our production capacity, but packaging was slowing us down. As a result, we invested in a bucket elevator with a floor hopper that feeds into a 14-head computerized scale. The system then drops the popcorn into a bagging machine.
That part of the process is now automated. An employee positions the bag, activates the machine, and the popcorn is weighed and portioned automatically. The filled bags then move to heat sealers. So we've added automation while still keeping people involved in the process.
Liz Cuneo: That's very cool. Will you be attending PACK EXPO this year?
Elizabeth Gallo: We'd love to. We're working through our calendar and budget to see if we can make it happen.
Liz Cuneo: As we wrap up, what advice would you give someone who's thinking about starting a food or snack company?
Elizabeth Gallo: If you truly believe in what you're doing, go for it. It's a lot of hard work, but I believed in this from the beginning because I was so inspired by the Prospector mission.
With hard work, innovation, and a willingness to think outside the box, you can get there.
Research is critical. Attend trade shows, meet people in the industry, and learn as much as you can. It takes time, but if you maintain your passion, success is possible.
Liz Cuneo: You mentioned trade shows like the Sweets & Snacks Expo and PACK EXPO. There are so many industry events, and they really do help people connect and explore available options.
Elizabeth Gallo: Absolutely. Another great resource is connecting with local product makers in your community. That's how we got our start through pop-up events.
If you have a product, participate in local markets and events. It's a great way to meet other entrepreneurs, learn from them, and get your product in front of customers.
Liz Cuneo: I imagine letting people try the product is one of the best ways to build awareness. It's amazing to see how much a company can grow from farmers markets and pop-up events.
Elizabeth Gallo: Exactly. It's been very exciting.
Liz Cuneo: Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today.
Elizabeth Gallo: I loved it. Thank you.
Liz Cuneo: It was great meeting you.
