Sue Michaletz (PoppedCorn)

Sue Michaletz is the owner of PoppedCorn, a popcorn store in Minnetonka just off Highway 62. 

A native of Mankato, Michaletz also graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato (she is now on the Maverick Real Estate Foundation board). 

Just over twelve years ago, she moved to the Twin Cities.   

“Before that, I was in real estate development and property management, and I commuted back and forth from the Twin Cities for 25 years,” Michaletz says, the majestic backdrop of her PoppedCorn storefront setting the stage for our conversation. 

For reference, PoppedCorn has been in business for a decade, and if that is news to you, then that goes to show just how difficult it is to effectively market even a profitable business in the Twin Cities. 

“If I opened this business in Mankato, it would have been all over the front page of The Free Press,” Michaletz insists.  

“Here in the metro, I have no idea how to even get an article done with the Star Tribune. It’s hard to get the word out.”

Perhaps that’s why I’m here today, a Monday morning, the weather outside less than balmy, but the popcorn machines in back eliciting enough joy and heat to defrost even the most rugged spirit. 

To me, PoppedCorn is vibrant and conceptually unique, but for Michaletz, starting this business was not always a lifelong dream of hers. 

As mentioned, she used to work in Corporate America, but then she left, and she didn’t want to fill out hundreds of resumes in search of a new position. 

“Job hunting is a lot different when you’re in your fifties,” she mentions, “and I kept coming back to the PoppedCorn idea and thought it was a lot of fun.”

Selling popcorn may seem like a challenge, but for an enthusiastic creative like Michaletz, every month affords her a new theme to tailor her menu around. 

“I didn’t realize how much work running a retail business would be though,” she says.

Aspiring entrepreneurs should take heed, but if they possess the same level of fortitude as Michaletz, they too can carve out a niche in the hyper-competitive Twin Cities market. 

“In property management, you know the top line numbers because it’s a contract-based business, and then you need to manage the expenses. In retail, it’s exactly the opposite,” Michaletz explains, the passion in her voice as evident as the care and precision that goes into each of her popcorn recipes. 

When one visits PoppedCorn, right away they will be greeted by a friendly staff, an expansive menu that contains 82 flavors of popcorn, a gift section, plus fudge that is hand-crafted by Michaletz herself.  

Whether you’re a sports fan or a chocolate connoisseur, there is something for every individual and entity at PoppedCorn. 

“We get a lot of business from companies that want to buy gifts for their clients or employees,” says Michaletz, who also has a license with the Minnesota Vikings that allows her to sell, and sell out, her products at every Vikings home game. 

At first glance, Michaletz’s ingenuity appears to be the driving force for what makes PoppedCorn products a staple under Christmas trees and around the offices of Fortune 500 companies, but the reality is that her business would not still exist if not for the tireless efforts of her daughters Anna and Amy, and her son-in-law, Marcus. 

“With those three, we literally laid the tile in this building because the tilers didn’t show up,” Michaletz says, pausing to absorb the gravity of the moment. 

“That’s how much devotion there was from them, and I would not be able to have started and continue to operate PoppedCorn without their gracious efforts.”

Need more reason why PoppedCorn would make a great gift for your next birthday or company outing?

Consider the fact that in addition to having over 80 flavors of popcorn constantly available, PoppedCorn also uses real cheese in their recipes instead of powder, like some of Michaletz’s competitors do. 

“We pop a large kernel, use real cheese, and have a proprietary caramel recipe, which means you’re not going to get our caramel somewhere else,” says Michaletz, handing me several samples as our video team makes its way through the back of the store. 

“This is good,” I tell Michaletz, having just consumed a piece of popcorn, the flavor of real cheese fully immersed in my taste buds.   

“When you eat our cheese popcorn, you’re also going to have real cheese on your fingers,” Michaletz says, and she’s right. 

“I would make a lot more money if we used powdered cheese, but that’s not who we are. We are going to use real cheese and real ingredients.”

At PoppedCorn, paying for quality is commonplace among their loyal customer base. 

On average, customers spend around $25 when they visit the store, but if you just want to dabble the next time you visit, mini bags of caramel corn are available for just $3. 

“People appreciate quality, and they’re willing to pay more for a really good product,” Michaletz notes. 

In a market where it’s believed that 90% of consumers like popcorn, PoppedCorn is likely to continue its upward trajectory in the coming years. 

“The popcorn market is huge, and the gifting market is equally massive,” Michaletz says. 

“We get tremendously positive feedback on our gifts, to the point where people will call us to say thank you.” 

In that sense, PoppedCorn’s impact is real, and soon, it’s bound to be even bigger as Michaletz works to franchise out the company’s name, image, and likeness. 

“We are not going to be like McDonald’s,” Michaletz says. 

“But my vision is for various PoppedCorn locations to be mom-and-pop operations, where a couple could conceivably make $100,000 per year, without a ton of capital investment, and live a good life.” QS

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