The Great British popcorn revolution is in full swing as trendy new flavours pop up regularly. Popcorn is now a major contender in the national snack industry representing a tasty chunk of the consumer snack market. Popcorn lovers are celebrating National Popcorn Day on 19 January 2016 and one man who eats, lives, breathes and sleeps popcorn is Jonty White, the founder and managing director of Portlebay Popcorn. Having worked at the forefront of the gourmet snack industry for over 15 years, he knows everything that is worth knowing about popcorn…and it really has quite a fascinating heritage.

“Here in Devon at The Poppery, we create some quite unique and unusual flavours, such as Chilli & Lime, Wasabi & Sweet Ginger, but the real pioneers were the Native American tribes. They flavoured popcorn with dried herbs and spices, and possibly also chilli. Plus they made popcorn into soup and beer and made popcorn headdresses and corsages,” explains Jonty. “Some Native American tribes believed that a spirit lived inside each kernel of popcorn. The spirits wouldn't usually bother humans, but if their home was heated, they would jump around, getting angrier and angrier, until eventually they would burst out with a pop! In reality, it is of course the moisture inside the kernel that turns to steam when heated and therefore makes it pop.”

Top Ten Portlebay Popcorn Facts

1.     There are six types of corn and popcorn is the only type of corn that will pop.

2.     Popability refers to the percentage of kernels which pop.

3.    Unpopped popcorn kernels at the bottom of the pot are called 'old maids'. High quality popcorn should produce 98% popped kernels with less than 2% old maids.

4.   Portlebay Popcorn is handmade with just three basic ingredients: butterfly popcorn from France, rapeseed oil and Billingtons raw cane sugar.

5.     People have been enjoying eating popcorn for thousands of years. The oldest ear of popcorn was found in a bat cave in Mexico in 1948 – it was believed to be more than 5,000 years old.

6.  It is thought that Christopher Columbus first introduced popcorn to the Europeans in the late 15th century.

7.     During the Great Depression, the popcorn business thrived while others failed because at 5-10 cents a bag, it was a luxury most people could afford.

8.  The first steam-powered commercial popcorn machine was invented by Charles Cretors in Chicago in 1885, and soon after he also made the first horse-drawn popcorn wagon. C. Cretors & Company, the business he founded, still manufactures popcorn machines in Illinois today and Portlebay is one of their customers today.

9.     Kernels pop when they reach a temperature of 175 °C.

10.   How high can popcorn kernels pop? Up to three feet!

And finally, how will Jonty be celebrating National Popcorn Day? “I'm aiming to eat a packet of each of our quirky Portlebay flavours – that's a total of nine bags of popcorn in one day….possible?  For sure!”

For further information on Portlebay Popcorn please visit www.portlebaypopcorn.co.uk, email letspop@portlebaypopcorn.com or call 01752 424 426.  Follow Portlebay Popcorn on Twitter @portlebaypopcorn and 'Like' on Facebook.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. Established in May 2012 by Jonty White with directors Neil Adams and Steve Wardlaw, Portlebay Popcorn is manufactured at The Poppery in Plympton, South Devon.

2. Portlebay has a whole range of delicious popcorn flavours made with specially developed natural seasonings such as Crispy Bacon & Maple Syrup, Chilli & Lime, Cinnamon Swirl and Cappuccino.

3. The Portlebay concept was originally inspired by Jonty's passion for sailing on the Salcombe estuary combined with a love for healthier snacks made with top quality ingredients, and with its distinctive, colourful nautical stripes, the Portlebay team believes that popcorn is one of those simple things that brings a little sunshine into your day.

4. Portlebay Popcorn is available in Boots, WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Budgens, Makro, Soho Coffee, Thornton's coffee shops plus independent stores and farm shops nationwide (retailing from £1.70 per 75g pack).

For further information, photography or an interview with Jonty White, managing director of Portlebay Popcorn, please contact:

Hayley Reynolds at RAW PR and Marketing

Email: hayley@rawprandmarketing.co.uk

Telephone: 01548 550 429 / 07887 474 104

Twitter: @HayleyJReynolds / @RawSW