Meet Rich Van Hersett of Cornzapoppin in Highlands Ranch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rich Van Hersett.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Originally, my sister & her husband were going to open this idea together. They were jr high sweethearts, and they used to go on ‘popcorn’ dates. As they were moving forward with this idea many years later, my sister became ill. It was decided to come together as a family and open Cornzapoppin as a family endeavor. I moved to Colorado from Texas, and my folks moved from Spokane, WA to join forces with my Colorado planted sister and her family. With the right mix of leaders and workers, our family business flourished.

My sister has since passed away, and my folks are back to living more fun, retired lifestyle. That said, they are eager to help when present and are still an integral part of Cornzapoppin. With a mixture of outstanding quality gourmet popcorn, strong sales & service, along with creative packaging, Cornzapoppin has thrived for the last 17yrs in Highlands Ranch. Our backbone is the corporate world, specifically marketing and advertising on behalf of a company’s needs.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
From the previous question, losing a sibling is never easy. Finding the correct rhythm of family dynamics was also an initial challenge since many of us are strong leaders. Turning the store and idea over to employees was also a major step, Cornzapoppin is our baby, so to speak, and not anyone is qualified to babysit our first.

From there, all business obstacles stand in the way… rising rent, rising wages, rising cost of good and more. Again, the typical hurdles that any successful company considers on a regular basis

Please tell us about Cornzapoppin.
Cornzapoppin is a start-up company that opened in 2003. That is a great accomplishment. Of the 40+ flavors of gourmet popcorn that we offer, we sell more caramel popcorn than any other flavors… I guess it is pretty good! Our most addictive flavor is most likely our white chocolate caramel popcorn. Any of our 9+ chocolate popcorn flavors seem to really catch the customer by delightful surprise. Other flavors that go out the door most often include loaded baked potato, hot cinnamon, and our salty dill pickle.

Cornzapoppin is a marketing & advertising company that specializes in gourmet popcorn. Our packaging is beautiful & unique. In fact, much of our packaging is custom packaging to mimic what the corporate customer is wanting to convey. Given our high-quality gourmet popcorn, coupled with our unique packaging, we are much more than just a popcorn company. We have the ability to help the most minimal of orders, as well as orders of a size that most people cannot image. We are also proud of our growth and our longevity within our Highlands Ranch community.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have grown up as an athlete, so my closest friends are still my childhood friends from age 13+. Many of those memories are my best ones. My folks attempted to teach their children about the differences in the world by travel. We took countless road trips across the US, airplane trips to further places, and even cruises to learn more. It is great to think back to those memories, especially given that my immediate family is no longer the same size.

Contact Info:

• Address: 9555 S University Blvd #104
  Highlands Ranch, CO 80126
• Website: www.cornzapoppin.com
• Phone: 303-471-1111
• Email: info@cornzapoppin.com
• Instagram: /cornzapoppin
• Facebook: /cornzapoppin
• Twitter: /cornzapoppin
• Yelp: /cornzapoppin
• Other: twitter @cornzapoppin

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