The Oprah-approved premium popcorn brand has grown to more than 100,000 customers and $20 million in lifetime revenue by betting consumers would pay more for a better popcorn experience
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — When Popsmith set out to sell a $200 stovetop popcorn popper, the skepticism wasn’t difficult to understand.
Popcorn was cheap. Popcorn makers were utilitarian. And the idea that consumers would spend hundreds of dollars on a product designed primarily to make one of America’s simplest snacks seemed like a risky proposition.
Popsmith founder and CEO Tal Moore heard versions of the same question repeatedly: Would anyone really pay $200 for a popcorn popper?
Three sellouts later, the answer appears to be yes.
Popsmith has grown to more than 100,000 customers and approximately $20 million in lifetime revenue, with the company on pace to generate approximately $9 million in revenue in 2026.
The company did it by making a bet that has played out across numerous consumer categories: take something familiar, improve the design and experience dramatically, and consumers may be willing to rethink what that product is worth.
“We knew $200 was a lot more than people were accustomed to spending on a popcorn popper,” Moore said. “But we weren’t trying to compete with the $30 popper someone buys and hides in a cabinet. We wanted to create something beautiful enough to leave on your stove, fun enough that you actually look forward to using it and special enough that you’d give it as a gift.”
When Oprah Changed the Equation
A major turning point came in 2024, when the Popsmith Popper was selected for Oprah’s Favorite Things.
The national exposure introduced Popsmith to a much larger audience and created a surge in demand. Since the Oprah feature, Popsmith has sold out three times as the company has worked to keep enough product in stock.
“You spend the early days of a company wondering whether people are going to understand what you’re building,” Moore said. “Then suddenly our problem wasn’t convincing people to buy it. Our problem was making sure we had enough to sell.”
The momentum has extended beyond Popsmith’s direct-to-consumer business. The brand has sold through Costco and Crate & Barrel and is preparing for a nationwide launch in Williams Sonoma stores for Holiday 2026.
The Popper Is Just the Beginning
What started with a single piece of kitchenware is increasingly becoming a broader premium popcorn business.
Customers who purchase a Popsmith Popper can return for kernels, buttery coconut oil, salts, seasonings, popcorn kits and other consumable products. That allows Popsmith to turn what could have been a one-time product purchase into an ongoing relationship with its customers.
For Moore, that evolution has changed the way the company thinks about its long-term opportunity.
“The biggest thing we’ve learned is that customers aren’t just buying a popper,” Moore said. “They’re buying into a better way to make and enjoy popcorn. Once we saw customers coming back for kernels, oils, salts and other products, it became clear that the opportunity was much bigger than the product we originally launched.”
The company is now betting that the same premiumization that transformed categories such as coffee, cookware and bottled water can happen in popcorn.
With its product line expanding, national retail distribution growing and a major Williams Sonoma rollout ahead, Popsmith is attempting to prove that even one of America’s simplest snacks can support a premium brand.
About Popsmith
Popsmith is a premium popcorn brand founded with a mission to make popcorn better. The company’s signature Popsmith Popper combines thoughtful design with the experience of making fresh stovetop popcorn at home, while its growing line of kernels, oils, seasonings and popcorn kits extends the brand across the entire popcorn experience.
Popsmith has served more than 100,000 customers, generated approximately $20 million in lifetime revenue and was selected for Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2024. The brand has worked with major national retailers including Costco, Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma, with a nationwide Williams Sonoma store rollout planned for Q4 2026.
To learn more about Popsmith and its products, visit www.popsmith.com.
Media Contact:
Tal Moore
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dd5fa0ca-51d5-4562-bb33-0c2b767ff71f
