On July 26th, POP! gourmet popcorn, a brand sold in over 6,000 stores across the United States, will open its first-ever directly managed popcorn store in Omotesando. The store is located at 6-6-9 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Using a special manufacturing process, POP! gourmet popcorn achieves a taste and texture that transcends the realm of snacks. It has been praised by local media as "ultra-premium popcorn" and has even won the Sophie Award Gold, the most prestigious award for luxury food. While its products are available in the United States at renowned hotels such as the New York Plaza Hotel and the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, as well as high-end grocery stores, this marks the company's first directly managed popcorn store opening outside the United States. The Omotesando flagship store will offer a lineup of over 30 premium flavors from POP! gourmet popcorn, crafted using four different types of corn to match each flavor and high-quality oils that are high-oleic acid and trans-fat-free. Sales will begin with eight flavors, including some exclusive to the company's own stores.
Four of the eight flavors have been carefully selected from those sold in the home country. The flavors are "White Truffle Bliss," seasoned with oil infused with Spanish white truffles and plenty of truffle chips and salt; "Rogue Blue," created in collaboration with blue cheese from Rogue Creamery, a long-established company founded in 1983 that won a gold medal at an international cheese competition; "Cascade Mix," a mix of cheese and caramel flavors; and "Butter Toffee with Almond Roca," a collaboration with Brown & Haley's signature product, "Almond Roca" (all 908 yen).
The remaining four flavors will be exclusive to the company's own stores and are made using the "infusion method," which seasons the oil itself, allowing the flavor to penetrate deep into the cheese. The four flavors are "Infused Chocolate Caramel with Sea Salt," "Infused Garlic Parmesan," "Infused Jalapeno," and "Infused White Cheddar Jalapeno" (all priced at 1,110 yen).
Attending the press conference held on the 25th, POP! gourmet LLC CEO David Israel commented, "We are very pleased to be able to open our first directly operated store. At POP! gourmet, we not only make popcorn, but also focus on creating new flavors through collaborations with brands, such as our 'Rose Glue' flavor and 'Butter Toffee with Almond,' so we hope to continue to try new things in the future."
Also attending the conference were three of the original Japanese flavor partners: wine taster and sommelier Motohiro Okoshi, chef Yoshie Uematsu, and lifestyle producer Moe Murakami. Okoshi spoke passionately about the excellent combination of wine and popcorn, and also expressed his desire to explore new flavors such as citrus fruits.
Uematsu shared his unique chef-like ideas, saying, "Popcorn is a great gift. It's lightweight, easy to carry, and the great thing about it is that you can snack on it while waiting for your meal to be ready without filling you up. You can also use it as a topping on salads or potage." Murakami, who was in charge of styling the press venue, also mentioned, "Choosing the right container to serve it in depending on the occasion makes life with popcorn more familiar." True to his words, he chose tin buckets to serve the popcorn to the media, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Opening hours are from 11:00 to 20:00.
