The popcorn revolutionary taking on the snacking giants

Louise Monk knows popcorn.  As a former sales director at KP Snacks, she understood the impulse snacking market inside out.

But when she took over a struggling popcorn start-up in 2016, she did something most industry veterans would consider a risky strategy: she deliberately avoided supermarkets.  

Louise, who trained as a food scientist before working her way through product development and buying roles at United Biscuits and Safeway, explained:

"We saw the opportunity to be a bigger first-choice fish in a multitude of smaller ponds than a small voice within a price-sensitive supermarket setting."

And it’s paid off. Operating from Milton Keynes, Popcorn Kitchen has carved out a distinctive niche in farm shops, garden centres, delis, food halls and prestige retailers like Selfridges, where staff now greet Louise with hugs. She said:

"They love Popcorn Kitchen so much. I don't mind a hug, so I'm okay with it."  

But the journey to that sweet spot hasn’t all been straightforward.  In 2019, Louise and her then-business partner quit their jobs to focus on the company, which was "bubbling along at about £150,000 turnover" but delivering no returns. Then COVID hit.  

Louise said:

"We'd just given our jobs up, so the safety net was gone."

But hamper companies, looking for stock during lockdown, became unlikely saviours.

"They went, 'We'll take it all.' The paradigm shifted from a business in a tricky position to one with cash in the bank."  

That year became Popcorn Kitchen's best ever, fuelled by homebound families snacking through Netflix marathons. The windfall gave Louise breathing space to reimagine the brand.  

Premium positioning, zero investment  

Everything Louise has built has been self-funded – a deliberate choice after her business partnership ended in 2023. She said, acknowledging this slows growth but preserves independence:

"I want to be in control of my destiny."  

Her strategy centres on premium positioning. Popcorn Kitchen uses "podgy mushroom corn" rather than cheaper butterfly corn, creating better surface area for flavours and less dust in packs. The range delivers both classic and quirkier flavours like lemon drizzle and blueberry muffin, alongside theatrical gifting formats like pop & home and giant bottles that have become seasonal bestsellers.  

"Seventy-five per cent of my business goes at Christmas time," Louise said, which is why she works with three separate UK popcorn manufacturers to ensure capacity during the crucial seasonal surge.  

While she knew a lot about the snacking industry, Louise embarked on the Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses programme to boost her business skills.    

One of the learnings was that she was undercharging. Louise was sceptical. "I was worried about it," she admitted. But she raised prices twice. "Nothing happened. The volume was the same, and I earned more money."  

The B Corp journey  

Becoming a B Corp in summer 2024 was "really important to me," said Louise, whose technical background makes her uncompromising on sustainability. "B Corp says you've got to have gold standard initiatives, which are checked and verified."  

She partnered with Cranfield University students to build her sustainability strategy from scratch, then worked with Andy Hawkins' "Couch to B-Corp" programme. She worked closely with a graduate from the university, who became her guide through the year-long certification process.  

Louise said:

"We were both nervous as anything before the audit. But we were so prepared."

They scored above the 80-point threshold, joining a cohort that includes inspiration Paul Hargreaves of B Corp pioneer Cotswold Fayre.  

The certification has opened doors, including Jamie Oliver's cookery school cafe, and provides a competitive edge against larger gourmet rivals who aren't B-Corp certified.  

Crunch Corn: The savoury pivot  

Louise’s latest innovation tackles a perennial problem: "Every time I do a tasting, some people say, 'I'm not a sweet person. I'm a savoury person.'"  

Enter Crunch Corn, launched in January 2026, using Choclo giant corn that's four times bigger than sweetcorn. At under 14% fat, less than half that of crisps, it's positioned as a healthier alternative that's also High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS ) regulation-compliant, gluten-free and high in fibre.  

The inspiration came from an unlikely source:

"I went to Seville and had a drink. They gave me this giant corn, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, we could do this.'"

It took two years to bring the vision to life, but the new line is already gaining traction.  

Louise's technical expertise shapes every decision, sometimes impacting commercial opportunities. For example, she refuses to extend shelf life beyond nine months for coated popcorn, despite export pressure.

She insisted:

"The quality over time just does not perform that well. Sometimes you have to root yourself in your own values."  

All packaging is UK-sourced, even though Chinese alternatives would be cheaper.

Louise acknowledged:

"I can buy popcorn bottles cheaper from China than I can make in the UK. But that does not help UK jobs."  

The current geopolitical climate has complicated expansion plans. A promising US export deal stalled due to tariff volatility:

"Everyone's really nervous about what the import duty is going to be." 

Add to that the fact that corn prices face pressure as American farmers switch to less energy-intensive soya cultivation and plastic costs are rising 15-20% due to oil price fluctuations, and it’s a complicated picture. 

Louise said philosophically:

"These are things I can't influence. So, I'm going to do other things instead."  

Building the team  

For three years, Louise ploughed every penny back into the business. Her husband, a finance broker, provides crucial support, both emotional and financial, arranging flexible facilities that ease cash flow during the Christmas build-up.

She said:

"To have somebody in your corner you trust with your life, that's so helpful."

Last year, she finally hired help: a salesperson and, just last week, an assistant.

"People have been saying to me, 'What is the value of your time?' There I am doing reconciliations, and I'm thinking, yes, absolutely right, I could be doing other things."  

The Goldman Sachs programme proved transformational, connecting her with 70 fellow entrepreneurs.

Louise, who'd struggled with imposter syndrome, said:

"Everybody has an issue. Everyone went in there to learn. These people are unbelievably talented and so helpful."  

What's next?  

Online sales have rocketed from 3% to 14% of turnover after investment in digital marketing.  Today's Popcorn Kitchen is a very different proposition from the 2019 discovery brand. Today, Popcorn Kitchen is a fine snacking disruptor with the range and reach to grow both at home and overseas.

There's also a whole new tranche of intriguing 'sharing' product development (NPD) being unveiled in Autumn 2026.  A major customer is coming on board for Crunch Corn later this year (Louise won't name names just yet!).  Export markets include North America, Ireland, Georgia, Spain and, via distributor Ramsdens International, the UAE.  

This is a bustling business that now competes on both sides of the snacking divide (sweet and savoury), by an ambitious team operating under the firm’s "popcorn happiness" banner. For Louise, that philosophy extends to how she runs her business: with integrity, independence, and a stoic commitment to long-term quality over quick-fix wins. 

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