Kettle Corn Brand Test: Angie’s, Nice! and Popcorn Indiana

IN Food Marketing & Design popped at the chance to decipher which kettle corn brands we like best this morning. Our EXTREMELY scientific brand test revealed which packaging, appearance and taste we preferred between competitors Popcorn Indiana, Walgreen’s private label brand Nice! and Minnesota-based Angie’s.

When it came to packaging we all agreed that Popcorn Indiana stole the show with a rustic red look and comfort food feel. The popcorn kernels were pictured beautifully on the front of the packaging along with health benefits posted very clearly along the bottom. Angie’s, who recently adopted a “new look” for their packaging was critiqued for the poor presentation of popcorn kernels on the front, and for the new color choices (yellow topped with white text?!) which made the content very difficult to read. Least favored was Nice! which sported a very commercial-looking shiny package featuring hot pink and lime green colors (not our favorite combo.) Overall we felt the look was unnatural and compared to its competitors didn’t seem as customized.

Next we ranked the kettle corn based on the presentation of kernels in each bag. Using a mixture of various kernel types and shades of colors, Angie’s popcorn received the most admiration for its product appearance. Next was the natural blend of Popcorn Indiana kernels, which looked authentic and homemade. Least favored were the uniform butter-ball kernels of Nice! which looked overly processed and artificial.

Last, but in this case definitely NOT least was the blind taste test! First and second place were VERY close but ultimately Popcorn Indiana scored a win for taste with its natural homemade goodness. Angie’s was a mixture of sweet and salty and was also very delicious with an admired crunch. Unfortunately Nice! was just nice. It tasted good enough for a snack, but the tinge of fake sweetness and softer crunch put it at the bottom of our list.

With the results IN, and our agency split with conflicting favorites; IN Food Marketing & Design would like to recommend both Popcorn Indiana and Angie’s Kettle Corn for your next popcorn worthy movie or event! If that’s not enough of an excuse to pick some up, blame it on Christmas and string it on the tree (if it lasts that long!)