This article from the Rocky Mountain News got our attention. We’ve tried a fair amount of spicy popcorn, and not much of it has been all that good. Either it’s been too salty, not spicy enough, or not flavorful enough. Few have truly been able to please in our house, at least not of stuff commercially-made. Enter the folks at Oogie’s Popcorn. Well, the popcorn with the funny name looks to take the industry by storm one kernel at a time. In particular, we like the look of the Spicy Chipotle Lime flavor…but there are others to suit the gourmet popcorn palate of nearly everyone. There’s not many places we can find it close to where we live, but we’ll be sure to report back once we’ve tried it firsthand.

Simons: Oogie’s among top of the pops

May 30, 2007

You have to try a lot of popcorn if you’re going to launch a successful popcorn business. Just ask Eric Thier, president of Denver-based Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn. He and partners Matt Mansi and Darrin Foster tried 35 varieties of popcorn and 20 flavors before settling on the kind of corn and the five flavors to bring to market first: White Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Spicy Chipotle & Lime, Sun-Dried Tomato & Parmesan, and Romano & Pesto.

“We thought sour cream-and- onion and barbecue flavors would work,” he said. “But although they’re fine on potato chips, they weren’t good on popcorn.”

The decisions weren’t easy, either.

“Our Romano & Pesto flavor is green,” he said. “We stared at it for hours, wondering whether anyone would want to eat green popcorn.”

Someone apparently did. Thier says Oogie’s Romano & Pesto popcorn draws more attention from chefs and culinary experts than any other flavor.

Oogie’s shipped its first bags out of a small warehouse in December 2005. A year later, the savory new snack food was being distributed in all 50 states. With most of 2007 still ahead, Oogie’s already has made as much as it did during all of last year and is graduating from bodega and boutique distribution into Wild Oats and Whole Foods stores.

They’re adding new flavors, too: Caprese - inspired by the Italian salad of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil - and Asiago & Cracked Pepper.

And if all that weren’t auspicious enough, the June issue of Chile Pepper Magazine has selected Oogie’s Spicy Chipotle & Lime popcorn as one of its “20 best spicy snacks.”

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