Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn announced its plans to invest $4.3 million into new operations. Ginger Frank started Poppy in 2014 as a one woman show — but now, the 45+ person staff has helped grow the brand into a major player in the gourmet popcorn market. And the growth doesn't stop there.

New developments are popping up

In March, the company announced a successful $3 million Series A funding round. That funding will fuel the gourmet popcorn brand's new development. And it came at a crucial time for the company, which has experienced 150% year-over-year demand growth each year since 2018.

The new investment will increase production by sixfold, more than doubling the size of Poppy's production space. Poppy will also become a permanent addition to the South Slope, with plans to open a headquarters office and retail flagship store.

The manufacturing space will grow by an additional 45,000 sqft, expanding into a space on Gerber Rd. Not only will the expansion mean more popcorn, but 66 new jobs in the community, with an average wage of $26.40 per hour. Talk about a win-win scenario. Positions in professional management, sales and distribution, and food science and production will become available as a result of the expansion within the next five years.

This isn't the only piece of exciting news we've heard from Poppy this year. Its parmesan and black pepper popcorn took the number one spot in Tasting Table's competition, "20 Bagged Popcorn Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best." Show some love for the Asheville brand by picking up a bag to snack on.