By Barbara A. Schmitz
Not many people can enjoy a good movie without popcorn. The Faris sisters certainly belong to that group. So when the sibling entrepreneurs who started Faris Gourmet Popcorn of nearby Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, had a chance to take over the EAA Fly-In Theater concession stand 3 years ago, you’d “butter believe” they said yes.
Most nights, they give out about 2,000 bags of free buttered popcorn, sponsored by Lycoming.
“We are guests of the EAA, and our goal is to make the guest experience better,” said Jenny Faris, who runs the business with her sister, Ali Faris Helleberg.
“Ali, Jenny and the whole Faris team are fantastic partners to work with,” said Hal Bryan, EAA’s managing editor and the manager of the Fly-In Theater venue during AirVenture. “They stepped up and stepped in without missing a beat, and continue to keep our audiences happy and well-fed during every screening, and they do it with a joyful dedication that’s infectious.”
Besides a love of popcorn, Jenny said they have a connection to EAA, as their grandfather was a friend of S.J. “Steve” Wittman, one of the early EAA members who advocated to move the fly-in convention to Oshkosh. And their grandmother planted many of the flowers that graced the early convention grounds.
“EAA has always been in our lives,” Ali said. “AirVenture is like a holiday for our family, a two-week event every July.”
Their popcorn company actually grew out of a high school marketing project, where Jenny had to come up with a mock business plan for a business. After brainstorming with her dad, who would end each day with a big bowl of popcorn made from his Stir Crazy popcorn machine, she decided on a popcorn company.
After trying out various flavors — they now offer nearly 400 — and giving out samples to family and friends, they discovered popcorn could be a viable business rather than just a school project. So, from taking over a 20 x 20 space in the building that housed the family’s industrial sewing company to upgrading to their current 32,000 square-foot building, business is — excuse the pun — “popping.”
They are now located in more than 3,000 stores nationwide.
It helps that their family is big foodies, Ali said. “We’re really just recreating our favorite food in popcorn form,” she said.
Ther best-selling popcorns are plain, caramel corn, yellow cheddar and windy city, a mix of caramel corn and yellow cheddar.
Jenny and Ali admit they eat popcorn daily, but they save the specialty flavors for treats. Ali’s favorite is scotch tree or caramel delight, while Jenny said she likes strawberry shortcake, puppy chow or monster cookie.
Besides at the Fly-in Theater, you’ll also find Faris Gourmet Popcorn in Ultralights and Homebuilts on the EAA grounds.
Photo caption: Sisters and entrepreneurs Ali Faris Helleberg, left, and Jenny Faris show off a variety of their popcorn varieties. Faris Popcorn has stands in both the Homebuilts and Ultralight areas, as well as at the EAA Fly-in Theater around showtimes.