Organically Grown Social Entrepreneurship
Steve Jobs narrated this unaired version of Apple’s famous Think Different ad in 1997. Steve taught us that innovation, not imitation, creates true value. When you watch the video, think of us. We proudly apply his philosophy every day at Virginia Specialty Foods.
Farewell Steve.
Renowned Nutritionist Cynthia Sass names Popghum one of her 10 new healthy food finds in Shape Magazine!
Cynthia Sass is a registered dietitian with master’s degrees in both nutrition science and public health. Frequently seen on national TV she’s a SHAPE contributing editor and nutrition consultant to the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. Her latest New York Times best seller is Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches.
The world’s leading talent agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), is rocking Popghum in their gift bags for the Young Hollywood Party. Check it out – it’s a fundraiser for a terrific cause called Communities in Schools.
Who does CAA represent? Oh, I don’t know, have you ever heard of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Lebron James, Sandra Bullock, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Will Smith, Novak Djokovic, Reese Witherspoon… At least that’s what the Wikipedia says on the interwebs.
We set out to find a delicious salty snack that you could joyfully ravage while consuming fewer calories and, hopefully, some extra nutrition. This journey led to bag after bag of Styrofoam-textured veggie puffs, cardboard-ish flax seed cakes and some surprisingly fattening kale chips. But it also yielded a handful of snacks that had us reaching for more, and more.
F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal
The Goods: Yucca (aka cassava) root is mashed into a paste, then deep fried in sunflower oil. Tasting Notes: Very crunchy, with a melt-away consistency somewhat reminiscent of Pringles. The Skinny: 1 ounce (24 chips) = 127 calories; one serving contains 2 grams of fiber
wailana.com
The Goods: Air-popped sorghum grain is coated with a little oil and salt. Tasting Notes: More substantial than popcorn, with a nutty flavor and no hulls to get stuck in the teeth. The Skinny: 1 ounce (1¼ cup) = 140 calories
popghum.com
The Goods: A cornmeal and potato dough is baked and seasoned. Tasting Notes: Combines the crunchy pleasure of cheese puffs with french-fried-potato taste. The Skinny: 1 ounce (about a cup) = 130 calories
alice.com
The Goods: Potato flakes and potato starch are “popped” under high pressure. Tasting Notes: Crunchy, salty potato with just the right hit of grease. Bulkier than typical chips, so just a few are quite satisfying. The Skinny: 1 ounce (about 23 chips) = 120 calories
popchips.com
The Goods: Roasted and salted seaweed. Tasting Notes: A far cry from Lay’s. But keep eating and the light, flavorful wafers become mysteriously snackable. The Skinny: 1 ounce (nearly 6 packages) = 168 calories; very high in vitamins C and A
amazon.com
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D6
June 21, 2011
ARLINGTON, VA – Popghum announced today it has accepted an invitation to be a Family of Food Sponsor for this year’s Farm Aid concert. This is Popghum’s second consecutive year as a sponsor.
This year’s show is scheduled for August 13, 2011at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Family of Food Sponsorship is specifically devised to support backstage catering efforts. Every gift received reduces event costs, and puts more dollars to work on behalf of family farmers.
“We’ve been invited for a second straight year,” said Dan Gadra, Chief Executive Officer, Popghum. “I think those old rockers like us! In all seriousness, we definitely like them. This organization works tirelessly to raise funds to keep family farmers on the land growing good, real, healthy food. Their goal is to feed us first and make profits second, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
As part of the sponsorship, Popghum will be listed in Farm Aid’s concert media press release about Good Food at Farm Aid, on the signage in the catering tent, and in a special Farm Aid program book.
Popghum is available now at select Whole Foods Markets and MOMs Organic Markets. If it’s not on the shelves, just ask for it!
Order Popghum online at shop.popghum.com.
About Popghum
Popghum is the original organic popped sorghum. It’s like popcorn, only better. It’s smaller, crunchier, nuttier, sweeter, and it has no hulls to get stuck in your teeth or gums! Learn more at www.popghum.com and order now at shop.popghum.com.
About Farm Aid
Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $37 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land. For more information, visit www.farmaid.org.
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Popghum is a Hit with the Supermarket Guru!
Phil Lempert, the Supermarket Guru, gives Popghum the highest score of all products reviewed in his 12/22/2010 Hit’s and Misses segment. View the videocast HERE!
You can now get Popghum at Whole Foods in the Mid-Atlantic Region (DC, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey), and the Southern Pacific Region (Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii). If it’s not on the shelves, just ask for it!
September 26, 2010
ARLINGTON, VA – Popghum today announced it has accepted an invitation to be a Family of Food Sponsor for this year’s Farm Aid concert. This year’s show, Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America, is October 2, 2010 at Miller Park Baseball Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Family of Food Sponsorship is specifically devised to support backstage catering efforts. Every gift received reduces event costs, and puts more dollars to work on behalf of family farmers.
“Words can’t express how excited I am about receiving this invitation,” said Dan Gadra, Chief Executive Officer, Popghum. “Backstage with the artists who have worked to raise awareness of how critical the family farm is to the American way of life since 1985 is exactly where we want to be. We’ll support them in any way we can.”
As part of the sponsorship, Popghum will be listed in Farm Aid’s concert media press release about Good Food at Farm Aid, on the signage in the catering tent, and in a special Farm Aid program book.
This year’s concert lineup includes: Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Kenny Chesney, Norah Jones, Jason Mraz, Jeff Tweedy, Band of Horses, The BoDeans, Amos Lee, Robert Francis, Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real, The Blackwood Quartet, and Randy Rogers Band.
Popghum can be purchased in stores now, and is available online at shop.virginiaspecialtyfoods.com.
About Popghum
Popghum is the original organic popped sorghum. It’s like popcorn, only better. It’s smaller, crunchier, nuttier, sweeter, and it has no hulls to get stuck in your teeth or gums! Learn more at www.popghum.com.
About Farm Aid
Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $37 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land. For more information, visit www.farmaid.org.
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September 9, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC – Popghum today announced a new campaign to support World Wildlife Fund, the world’s leading conservation organization. The company will donate approximately 5% from the sale of every bag sold to WWF to help support their core mission, which is to protect the future of nature.
Popghum will introduce new packaging in support of the campaign that will feature the WWF logo, images of endangered species WWF works to protect, and a short narrative describing the plight of the animals.
“We are very excited to work with Popghum to help raise money to support our efforts,” said Terry Macko, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, World Wildlife Fund. “Popghum is clearly dedicated to finding ways to raise money to help save wildlife and their habitats. Moreover, this new packaging will help teach people about the issues endangered species face, which is an important step toward building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.”
“Working with an organization like WWF was an important goal for me when I founded Popghum. I actually drafted Popghum’s mission to require it to donate part of its profits to help save the environment,” said Dan Gadra, CEO of Popghum. “I am very pleased that WWF chose to partner with us.”
Popghum’s assortment of organic popped sorghum snacks can be seen in stores around the US in the coming weeks, and is available now online at shop.virginiaspecialtyfoods.com.
About Popghum
Popghum is the original organic popped sorghum. It’s like popcorn, only better. It’s smaller, crunchier, nuttier, sweeter, and it has no hulls to get stuck in your teeth or gums! Learn more at www.popghum.com.
About World Wildlife Fund
WWF is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.
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October 1, 2009
BOSTON, MA – For the second time this year, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services invited Popghum LLC to represent the Commonwealth at a national trade show. This time it was Natural Products Expo East in Boston, and it was more than successful. Thousands of products were on display from brands with household names. Only five stood out as finalists for “Most Innovative Product” and Popghum was one of them.
“Wow. I’m humbled,” said Dan Gadra, Chief Executive Officer of Popghum LLC. “We’re not in this for awards, but I have to say it’s great that people are recognizing truly innovative products. We decided to make Popghum to provide an alternative to popcorn that tastes better, is better for kids and helps the environment. We think that’s innovative, and we’re glad others do too.”
The show’s success is strong evidence that the company’s decision to build a new factory with increased production was sound, even though it meant a delay in production. “We understand people are frustrated with Popghum’s lack of availability,” said Mr. Gadra. “In this economy, it just made more sense to err on the side of caution. We didn’t want to waste anyone’s money building a full-scale production line if demand wasn’t there. Now, it looks like we can move forward with confidence. We’re sorry for the delay in production. Please bear with us – we promise it’ll be worth the wait!”
Popghum’s new production facility is under construction in Northern Virginia, and will feature green amenities and some of the most modern production equipment available. According to Mr. Gadra, the facility will allow the company to produce enough Popghum to meet international demand at delis, specialty food stores and online, but retain small batch flavor. “We will still season in small batches,” said Mr. Gadra. “Flavor is among our highest priorities.”
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About Popghum:
Popped sorghum has many advantages over popcorn. It looks just like mini popcorn, but it’s crunchier more flavorful. It’s high in fiber, protein and iron, and low in calories and fat. It doesn’t have the corn allergen “zein,” and it’s gluten free. Best of all, it doesn’t have those pesky hulls that are a choking hazard and a real pain in the gums! Learn more at www.popghum.com.
About Natural Products Expo East:
Natural Products Expo East brings together the natural community with thousands of products from passionate manufacturers, inspiring and practical education, and networking events that will leave you with new contacts and great memories that will carry your business through its next stage of growth. Learn more at www.expoeast.com.
