When Gaylen Backus was in his peak popcorn growing season, he was popping out nearly half a million pounds of popcorn seed on his 350 acres of South Dakota farmland near Wentworth. He went from selling most of his crop to wholesalers, to his family popping and packaging his wife Shirley’s homemade caramel corn and selling it at farmers markets and vendor shows. 

People loved it and demand exploded. So much so that in 2015 he and Shirley and their youngest son, Tyler, converted their 2-stall garage into a commercial business. In this episode, Tyler Backus shares about the growth of the family business, where they moved their popcorn showroom to, Gaylen’s services like corporate gifts, fundraisers and subscription boxes, their most popular flavors, and the one people are most hesitant to try. Tyler also tells us the flavor he’s tried to create but just hasn’t gotten right yet.

Each year, they not only grow their business by adding new flavors—like cranberry crave, birthday cake, chocolate drizzle, caramel green apple, Santa’s snack, dill pickle, cheesy pizza, buffalo ranch, parmesan garlic—but they also expand the number of local products they sell in their showroom and on gaylenspopcorn.com. Photos available on Randomsweets.com.

Gaylen's Gourmet Popcorn, 118 E. Center Street, Madison, South Dakota

Website: gaylenspopcorn.com

Facebook: Gaylen's Gourmet Popcorn

Instagram: @gaylenspopcorn

TikTok: @gaylenspopcorn

Email: [email protected]

#ourSweetMidwestLife

Website: randomsweets.com

Instagram: @potatoesandmittens

Instagram: @randomsweets

Facebook: Random Sweets

Email: [email protected]

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