What began as a local favorite in cozy storefronts is now finding its way onto grocery store shelves across St. Louis. Tony Davis, founder and CEO of Pop Pop Hurray!, has been making waves – and popcorn – for years, delighting customers with indulgent, small-batch creations like Strawberry Cheesecake and Banana Pudding. Earlier this year, we wrote about the business opening a storefront at City Foundry STL’s ever-popular food hall. Now, his brand has reached a new milestone: shelves in 16 Schnucks grocery stores across the St. Louis metro area.
“We saw it as a great chance to reach new customers in other parts of the city who might not have experienced our popcorn otherwise,” Davis shared. “It allows us to bring our popcorn to a much broader audience and significantly grow our brand awareness.”
The partnership came to life through Schnucks’s Springboard program, which uplifts local makers and minority-owned businesses. But this wasn’t just a lucky break – it was a meeting of missions. “Schnucks not only gave us shelf space,” Davis explained. “[They] also provided us tools and guidance to help scale while still maintaining our small-batch, handcrafted quality.”
Each Pop Pop Hurray! flavor is a memory, a story or a wink to something familiar, artfully reimagined in popcorn form. The STL Mix (a local favorite), the creamy Banana Pudding and the tart-sweet pop of Strawberry Cheesecake, each is handcrafted with real ingredients, inspired by nostalgia and joy.
But translating those dreamy, in-store treats to retail shelves took finesse. “One of the biggest challenges was ensuring the flavors stayed just as fresh and delicious on a retail shelf,” Davis shared. Months of packaging trials led to a solution that both preserves freshness and captures the playful essence of the brand. “After a lot of testing, we finally found the right packaging that keeps the popcorn as fresh as if you were grabbing a bag right from our store.”
Still, for Davis, success isn’t just measured in sales. It’s measured in community. “This expansion puts local, minority-owned businesses like ours in front of more people and helps showcase the creativity coming out of our city. We hope it encourages more food entrepreneurs to take big steps and bring their products to a larger audience.”
As for the future? Davis isn’t shy. When asked about the potential of national distribution, he said, “That’s definitely the vision! Right now, we’re focused on making this partnership with Schnucks a success, but we see this as the first step toward wider retail distribution.” And if the vibrant bags now lining grocery shelves are any sign, that dream is just getting started. Because sometimes, the simplest things – a good idea, a great flavor, a handful of popcorn – can quietly grow into something much bigger.
This article appears in April 2025.