Prospector Popcorn is a snack maker on a mission, in addition to offering an impressive array of creative popcorn varieties and flavors, the company offers employment opportunities to people living with disabilities. What’s more, the company (an extension of the non-profit The Prospector) has come out with a special sweet and shiny variety Down to Sparkle, in honor of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21. 

To learn more about the company, its mission, and the Down to Sparkle popcorn, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery sat down with the Prospector Executive Director, Ryan Wenke.

Jenni Spinner: What came first for Prospector Popcorn—the product, or the purpose? Please share how the idea for the product came about, what kinds of products you offer, and how your mission to give back works.

Ryan Wenke: Since our founding in 2014, The Prospector, a non-profit organization with a mission of providing competitive and inclusive employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, has shown the world the operation of a first-run movie theater and gourmet popcorn business, and that those of us with disabilities are talented, motivated and highly capable employees. The success of welcoming over 850,000 guests to an unparalleled sparkly moviegoing experience coupled with a popcorn business that receives orders from every state in the country is the result of our workforce; which continues to be disproportionately underrepresented in America. 

The Prospector currently employs 125 Prospects. Approximately 75% of us self-identify with a disability, and 100% of us benefit from an increased quality of life that comes from earning a competitive paycheck. In addition to operating vital components of a movie theater like ticket sales, concessions, and ushering, we have expanded our footprint to match the diverse sparkle of this growing workforce through Prospector Popcorn, a byproduct of this expansion.

Baking enthusiasts have joined our Prospector Popcorn team to help create delicious gourmet popcorn, craft unique recipes like Down to Sparkle, in honor of World Down Syndrome Day, packages, and fulfill the thousands of orders that come in each year. We’re involved at every level of our operation, and our sparkle resonates from the box office up the board.  

JS: How has Prospector Popcorn grown since its founding? Please talk about how the product offerings have grown, how your distribution has expanded, any retail partners you’ve connected with, etc.

RW: When our movie theater opened in November of 2014, we started exploring with the idea of making gourmet popcorn to complement the traditional offerings guests would expect while watching a movie. Our first Prospector Popcorn flavor was the Classic Caramel, which immediately became a hit at the concession stand. 

From an expansion perspective, we’ve always wanted to share our mission and sparkle to people who weren’t able to visit our brick-and-mortar location in Ridgefield, CT. With the uncertainty of the movie industry during the pandemic, coupled with a proven successful product, provided the right moment for our business to systemize a process for receiving online orders, fulfilling them, and shipping a variety of gourmet popcorn flavors across the country. Our e-commerce website prospectorpopcorn.org launched in October 2021, and since then we have received thousands of orders, shipped to all 50 states, and expanded our flavor offerings to eight choices in addition to rotating and seasonal flavors.

One single bag of gourmet popcorn is a literal taste of our mission in action. Every aspect of that bag: popping, baking, packaging, shipping, and marketing are all meaningful jobs created by us, in-house. Our gourmet popcorn has been enjoyed by the NY Giants, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and CNN (to name a few).       

JS: You’ve got a special flavor out just in time for World Down Syndrome Day on March 21. Could you please tell us about the Down to Sparkle flavor?

RW: To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) on 3/21, we are bringing back our “Down to Sparkle” flavor which we debuted last year. The theme this year for WDSD is ending stereotypes. We are showing the world that the triplication of the 21st chromosome doesn’t mean we aren’t capable. Our differences should be celebrated and embraced. Down to Sparkle was created using 21 unique ingredients that include pretzels, chocolate, marshmallows, and caramel.

JS: Please tell us about your other flavors—you’ve got some classic flavors mixed in with a bunch of unique blends.

RW: I can confidently say that we have a flavor for every palate out there! For popcorn fans that prefer a bit of spice, we have Buffalo Cheddar, Jalapeno Cheddar, and Sweet N’ Spicy. For the sweets lovers, we have Strawberry Ice Cream, Maple Walnut Ice Cream, and Belgian Chocolate Toffee. If you want to keep it simple, you can buy our Classic Caramel flavor. Our entire flavor collection can be found at prospectorpopcorn.org.

JS: The mission is fabulous—how do you work to make sure your products taste good, in addition to doing good? Anything you can tell us about working to get the flavors, textures, and all that good stuff just right would be great.

RW: Our philosophy is simple: when you match someone’s passion with a profession, and provide the right support and structure within the workplace, both the employee and employer succeed. 

Prospects with an interest in baking are responsible for creating and perfecting each flavor that we create.  That’s their sparkle, and it resonates with how meticulously we make each bag. Our Popcorn team is always trying out new recipes, seeing what works, what doesn’t work to continuously improve the product.  

JS: What’s next for Prospector Popcorn? Please feel free to share what you can about any planned new flavors, other products, events you’ll be exhibiting at, etc.

RW: We’re proud to have repeat customers in all 50 states and now have our sights set on international shipping. In the immediate future, after we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, we will be relaunching our Superstar Crunch flavor for Autism Acceptance Month in April.

We are always expanding and rotating our flavor options, so we encourage everyone to subscribe to our newsletter to get all the latest news and updates.  

JS: What’s your favorite?

RW: My personal favorite is the Belgian Chocolate Toffee. You can’t go wrong with chocolate, toffee, and pretzels! The bag is usually devoured within 10 minutes.