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Popcorn has been a popular snack dating back to ancient civilizations, possibly even as early as 4700 BCE. Indigenous tribes like the Incas and Aztecs believed that the popping sound represented the spirits of their ancestors being released, so it was used in religious ceremonies, for decorating, and in their food.
If you're ready to try popcorn outside of your usual homemade flavors, there are quite a few specialty shops that will excite your palate. It's fun to test out new companies for your own enjoyment or even to find presents for loved ones. Popcorn makes a great gift for birthdays or around the holidays, so if you're hard pressed for ideas, this is a good one to try out.
Wednesday, January 15th
Al's Delicious Popcorn is a family-owned business that sells over 65 flavors of unique, mouth-watering popcorn. Pricing starts as low as $3.75, but goes up based on the flavor and size you choose. There are almost too many choices here, so you could spend years testing out new flavors from Al's Delicious Popcorn. If you aren't local to their store in Ohio, you'll need to pay for shipping, which can get expensive - and that's the only downside we found to this company. This gourmet popcorn shop has an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, high reviews from customers who have shopped here, and a great website that makes exploring their popcorn flavors fun and easy. We are excited about Al's Delicious Popcorn and they're our favorite online popcorn destination.
Great American Popcorn Company has a huge selection of flavors that are often changing based on the season. We couldn't wait to place an order and try some of their popcorn that we had never heard of before. Customers can buy individual bags (8-10 cups each) starting at $11.95, bundles of their favorite types of flavors, try out a flavor of the month subscription, or curate their own monthly deliveries with all their favorites. Shipping is free on orders over $65, otherwise Great American Popcorn Company charges a flat-rate fee of $9 for shipping. This company has a satisfaction guarantee and is highly rated by customers, so it's one of the options for buying popcorn online that we're most excited about.
Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn has 21 flavors from sweet and mild to spicy. They come in a variety of sizes and prices, depending on what your needs are. You can order large tubs with up to 3 flavors in one or even subscribe to (expensive) recurrent deliveries if you become as obsessed with this shop as some other customers report they have. Small bags of popcorn start at $10 here and you'll get free shipping when you spend at least $50. There is even a 30-day return policy, though we doubt you'll need to take advantage of it. Shirley's doesn't have fancy packaging or lots of seasonal fanfare, but customers love the taste, so we can't not give them our recommendation.
Popinsanity is an artisan popcorn store with 17 dessert-worthy flavors that are affordable for personal enjoyment or gifting. They have a range of packaging options that are classy enough to pass as a high-end gift or to give out at a formal event. You can place small orders or Popinsanity will work with you to ship orders to 10+ addresses. If you spend over $65, you'll qualify for free delivery and you can try Popinsanity with a 10% off code if you sign up for their emails. Customers have left honest reviews about all the flavors here, so that is a big help in selecting options from this store. If you're looking for a beautiful gift for someone, the selection from Popinsanity would pass the test.
Poppington's is home to a lot of classic popcorn flavors with a mix of some unique, original ones that they've created as well. Starting at $7.99, you can order a small bag of their popcorn or get it in quantities of up to 7 gallons at a time. All their popcorn is gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, with transparent nutrition information and customer reviews of each flavor. The company doesn't lay out their shipping costs, so you'll have to find out what you owe for that at the end of your shopping journey, which we don't love. Aside from this, Poppington's Gourmet Popcorn has an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and is enjoyed by many customers; however, it isn't quite earning one of our top spots.
Harry & David has a wide range of food and products to give as gifts to customers for all types of holidays and events. Their Moose Munch popcorn comes in packs of 2 or more and can be purchased one time or delivered monthly with a subscription. Most of the flavors are chocolatey, with none of them being cheese or very savory. The flavors look delicious, but may not be for everyone. There are no ingredients or nutrition facts listed on their site to see everything included with each bag. Shipping is really expensive, so you may need to consider signing up for their Celebrations Passport membership for $19.99+ per year to get free shipping on all your purchases. This is a well-liked company with high ratings, but compared with its rivals on our list, it's just earned an average rating.
Fisher's Popcorn has a history that dates back to 1937. The company has 9 different popcorn flavors that can be purchased in tubs, tins, or bags. They have seasonal packaging and it's easy to buy bundles of popcorn here, so it's a perfect place to look if you want to give popcorn as a gift. They also have an affordable popcorn subscription service that includes free shipping and the ability to choose your monthly flavor or be surprised each time. The popcorn here is well-liked by over 5,000 customers who have left reviews on their website. We'd like to see more flavor diversity, but otherwise this is a good option for buying popcorn for yourself or others.
The Popcorn Factory has a small but enjoyable variety of popcorn flavors that come in a diverse range of packaging for any occasion. You can easily add customized labels and printing to your popcorn container, so this is a hassle-free place to find a gift for someone. Pricing is reasonable, but unless you purchase the Celebrations Passport membership for free shipping, you may spend a lot on deliveries if you shop here often. The Better Business Bureau gives The Popcorn Factory an "A+” rating, but there are a lot of frustrations that customers have expressed. Because of this, The Popcorn Factory has earned a "just average” rating.
Topsy's sells a small variety of staple popcorn flavors in tins that reflect upcoming holidays and their home state of Kansas. Tins come as small as one gallon and start at $15.95. Shipping costs alone start at $12.95 for standard delivery, so you'll get the most bang for your buck if you order a lot of popcorn to make shipping more worth it. Topsy's doesn't have extremely high reviews, so we aren't totally convinced that you'll get fresh popcorn delivered in a timely manner here. Luckily Topsy's offers a 30-day return policy, but because this company can't compete with others that we've explored, they haven't earned our recommendation.
Gourmet Gift Baskets has a wide variety of food items that can be given as gifts for special occasions. Unfortunately they fall short with customer satisfaction, with many people complaining that their food quality is low and does not reflect what is shown on their website. There are few options for popcorn gift baskets and nothing we saw seemed like anything special. The prices here are quite high, especially considering that you may pay around $24.99 for a delivery that will take over a week to arrive. Besides an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, we couldn't find a really great reason to want to shop for popcorn at Gourmet Gift Baskets.
The first popcorn popping machine was invented in the 1890s, making it a food that could more easily be enjoyed by people everywhere. Over time, we've even found other ways to use popcorn besides eating it plain - like making a Christmas tree garland out of it or adding it to other dishes.
Popcorn is also a snack that you should feel no guilt about adding to your regular diet, since it is high in fiber, low in calories, and contains antioxidants that can help with blood circulation, digestion, and even reduces the risk of some diseases. Aside from the occasional butter bath at the movie theater, popcorn by itself is actually quite healthy.
Another reason people crave popcorn and use it as a side at gatherings or give it as gifts is because it is so versatile. It can be sweet or salty and completely transformed by other flavors like dill, caramel, peanut butter, peppermint, ranch, spicy jalapeño, zesty cheddar, and so much more. There is probably a type of popcorn made out of just about any flavor you can imagine. Sometimes it's mixed with other ingredients or just flavored with powders or special sauces to give it a powerful and unique flavor.
Some popcorn companies offer regular deliveries in the form of subscriptions or one-time purchases of their products. They usually prioritize fresh, high-quality ingredients and if you're getting subscription deliveries, you'll get a well-rounded experience by getting to try all sorts of different flavors. Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking at different popcorn companies:
The experts at Top Consumer Reviews have researched the best companies that sell some of the most unique, gourmet popcorn you can get your hands on. We hope you'll find a company you're excited about and can enjoy fun new popcorn flavors all year round!
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