NEW YORK — Traditional shiitake mushrooms have gotten a makeover and have been transformed into mushroom chips by Marilyn Yang, founder of Popadelics.
Ms. Yang and her co-founder Michael Casali founded Popadelics in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While facing lockdowns, the couple tired of eating the same snacks and searched for a healthier, better-for-you option from the snacking aisle. The pair noticed mushrooms and mushroom-based foods were gaining popularity.
“We’re both lifelong mushroom lovers and this got the creative wheels turning for us,” Ms. Yang said. “During this time (COVID-19) we kept seeing mushroom coffee, teas, and other products so this (mushrooms) was at the top of our minds when we were searching for a new snack to try.”
As a Chinese American, Ms. Yang grew up eating mushrooms with most meals, which led to a love for mushrooms, a vegetable she described as an “under-loved veggie.”
“With Popadelics’ parent company, Fun-Gal Snacks, we saw an opportunity with mushrooms,” she said. “There’s a lot of corn and potatoes in the snacking aisle, but there’s more to snacking than those two vegetables. There’s a lot of other vegetables that would make great snacks like mushrooms, so bringing awareness to this veggie (mushrooms) and other under loved veggies is something we’re trying to do.”
Ms. Yang said mushroom-doubters tend to be their biggest customers.
Marilyn Yang, founder of Popadelics, and Michael Casali, co-founder. Photo: Fun-Gal Snacks“They’re mind-blown once they try our product,” she said. “Our product is super crunchy like a potato chip or crouton. I think if you get the person over the hump that it’s a mushroom, once they try it they rave about it.”
Popadelics uses vacuum frying to cook the mushrooms, which are tumbled and coated in sunflower oil and seasoning.
“At a high pressure in a vacuum chamber, the boiling point of water is much lower,” Ms. Yang said. “You’re able to get the same effects of cooking because it’s at a lower temperature and not killing off as many nutrients. When you cook at a lower temperature, it doesn’t require as much oil and allows the product to retain most of its nutrients, color, texture and flavor.”
Popadelics three flavors are truffle parmesan, Thai chili, and rosemary and salt.
Ms. Yang and Mr. Casali launched Popadelics in April 2022 as a direct-to-consumer brand but soon expanded to omnichannel.
“With the pandemic during 2020 and 2021, you couldn’t go to stores and get products,” Ms. Yang said. “So we started online where the customers were. We also … sell to corporate offices.”
Popadelics’ go-to-market strategy also involves selling to wholesalers, distributors and retailers like Urban Outfitters and Foxtrot.
“In the medium term, we also hope to target foodservice customers,” Ms. Yang said.
For manufacturing, the company went directly to co-packing.
“We skipped a few steps and never had a test kitchen period,” Ms. Yang said.
The brand focuses on more of a persona rather than traditional demographics.
“We’re targeting people who are adventurous snackers who want something that’s better-for-you,” Ms. Yang said. “The age group can span any age, it’s all ages, genders and geographies.”
Ms. Yang said the brand is aiming to grow into more retailers.
“This is our lowest-hanging fruit for us,” Ms. Yang said. “We have a big pending launch that will add another 200 doors on the West Coast later this year, and we’re in late-stage discussions with a bunch of other usual suspects in terms of national grocery retailers that at least a few of those should convert in the near term.”
In all, Ms. Yang’s mission for the brand is to make all mushrooms mainstream.
“I feel like for too long mushrooms have been maybe misunderstood,” Ms. Yang said. “People who might think they don’t like mushrooms just haven’t tried them in the right way, so they’ve written off all mushrooms. Our goal with our product is to show people that mushrooms aren’t one-sided; they’re a multi-faceted ingredient that can be had a lot of ways. Our goal is for us to make mushrooms mainstream and offer a better-for-you snack.”
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