Grupo Bimbo acquires Popcornopolis from NexPhase Capital

The California-based gourmet popcorn company has achieved nearly USD 72 m in revenue to date, thanks to record growth in e-commerce, and is now operating under Grupo Bimbo’s U.S. snacks division Barcel USA upon the transaction.

Entrepreneurs Wally and Kathy Arnold launched Popcornopolis in 2003, best known for its cone-shaped packaging and ready-to-eat indulgent flavors, including Zebra, Unicorn and Double Drizzle. NexPhase Capital, a PE firm primarily investing in the lower middle market across consumer, healthcare, and software, backed the popcorn company in 2019 with a focus on expanding its distribution in the food, drug and mass channels and growing its DTC business. Its strategy of expanding Popcornopolis into the everyday snacks aisle has helped the brand become the fastest growing ready-to-eat popcorn in retail.