Oprah Chooses Kosher ‘Popinsanity’ Popcorn As One Of Her ‘Favorite Things’
Image by Getty
One of the hardest things about creating a kosher food is the difficulty of it crossing over into the mainstream and achieving the national and not-just-Jewish appeal a food needs to remain on the market. But with Oprah’s help, that’s not kosher artisanal popcorn company Popinsanity’s problem anymore. The Airmont, New York-based company was founded by Aaron Zutler and Jacob Goldenthal.
Image by Screenshot
Popinsanity caught Oprah’s eye at a trade show, after a chance encounter with a staffer, according to News12. But an $180 tin of gourmet popcorn isn’t for everyone, to be sure, and the backlash is already happening, with a Quartz article calling it “the world’s most tragic gift.”
The power of Oprah’s favorite holiday things list is one that economists can chart, calling it “The Oprah effect,” in which a product’s popularity explodes after making it onto Oprah’s list. After endorsing the Amazon Kindle, the product sold out in a few hours. When Oprah announced she owned a LightWedge book light, sales of LightWedge book lights increased from $3,700 to $90,000 in a single afternoon. Cake designing company We Take The Cake made $19 in 2004. By the end of 2005, after receiving Oprah’s approval, sales were up $840,000. Popinsanity has been selling 10,000 pounds of popcorn a week to 24 states, but Zutler and Goldenthal should gear up to start selling a lot more.
Shira Feder is a writer. She’s at [email protected] and @shirafeder
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
