Founders: Teresa Tsou, Jennifer Martin, and Jeff Martin
In 2012, Jen was working at a health-food store in Chicago and came across an unusual kind of popcorn made from heirloom corn. Not only did it taste better, but it also had smaller kernels that didn't get stuck in your teeth and was packed with fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins, making it healthier than commercially grown popcorn. Jen, Teresa, and Jeff realized that they had found something that people would love to eat and figured out a way to mass-produce this unique type of corn. The three founders (Jen - sister, Jeff - brother, Teresa - Jeff's wife) started Pipcorn solely around the idea for a great product and began creating small batches in their mom's spaghetti pot to sell in hand-stamped paper bags at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, NY. Since then Pipcorn has grown to be a multi-million dollar company offering a portfolio of better-for-you snacks.
Pipcorn sells better-for-you snacks in a variety of flavors all made from heirloom super corn. The snacks currently include popcorn, cheese balls, corn dippers, snack crackers, and crunchies, which consumers can buy online or at retailers such as Whole Foods.
"Emerging brands have that power. You can create these exciting and interesting ideas really quickly. That's just our culture. Once we are on an idea that we are passionate about, we're all sprinting for it to make sure it happens." - Teresa
Sources: Forbes, The Cut, Business Insider, Pipcorn website