We made this in our kitchen.
Then Sprouts took it national.
We made this in our kitchen. Then Sprouts took it national.
From our family's pantry to 4,000+ stores
nationwide — in under two years.
From our family's pantry to 4,000+ stores nationwide — in under two years.
The Realization
When Kelly was pregnant with our son, Archer, we started paying closer attention to what we were eating.
We ate organic and relatively healthy but we really dialed it up after we discovered how bad seed oils are.
We didn't want that in our house.
We wanted snacks made from foods we knew.
That phrase stuck.
When Kelly was pregnant with our son, Archer, we started paying closer attention to what we were eating. We ate organic and relatively healthy but we really dialed it up after we discovered how bad seed oils are. We didn't want that in our house.
We wanted snacks made from foods we knew. That phrase stuck.
When Kelly was pregnant with our son, Archer, we started paying closer attention to what we were eating. We ate organic and relatively healthy but we really dialed it up after we discovered how bad seed oils are. We didn't want that in our house.
We wanted snacks made from foods we knew. That phrase stuck.
Minimal Viable Popcorn
We didn't hire an agency. We didn't spend months on packaging. We didn't wait until everything was perfect before showing anyone.
We spent 250,000 credit card points on a flight/hotel, $50 on ingredients, and one night in our own kitchen — popping corn in grass-fed ghee, bag by bag, ahead of a meeting we'd only just landed.
We didn't hire an agency. We didn't spend months on packaging. We didn't wait until everything was perfect before showing anyone.
We spent 250,000 credit card points on a flight/hotel, $50 on ingredients, and one night in our own kitchen — popping corn in grass-fed ghee, bag by bag, ahead of a meeting we'd only just landed.
"Some founders spend months and $50,000 perfecting everything before they show their product to a single person. We spent $50 and one night."
"Some founders spend months and $50,000 perfecting everything before they show their product to a single person. We spent $50 and one night."
We believed the product could speak for itself. If the taste and the ingredients were right, the concept alone would prove it, no deck, no design system, no six-figure launch budget required.
We call it Minimal Viable Popcorn. It's still how we build everything at Gheelish.
We believed the product could speak for itself. If the taste and the ingredients were right, the concept alone would prove it, no deck, no design system, no six-figure launch budget required.
We call it Minimal Viable Popcorn. It's still how we build everything at Gheelish.
The Cold Email
That meeting was with Sprouts Farmers Market and we only got it because Sprouts' CEO, Jack Sinclair, personally responded to a cold email.
He connected us with Kim Coffin. She brought in Scott Romano and Brody Burk. We walked into that meeting with popcorn we'd made ourselves the night before, and walked out with a commitment to roll out nationally across more than 400 stores.
They ran a 90-day test, it worked and Gheelish became one of a handful of popcorn brands carried at Sprouts nationwide.
Here's the detail that still surprises people: the very first bag of Gheelish ever sold wasn't at a farmers market, a local shop, or on Amazon. It was at Sprouts, full stop. Most food brands spend years working toward national retail. We started there seven months after that first meeting.
That meeting was with Sprouts Farmers Market and we only got it because Sprouts' CEO, Jack Sinclair, personally responded to a cold email.
He connected us with Kim Coffin. She brought in Scott Romano and Brody Burk. We walked into that meeting with popcorn we'd made ourselves the night before, and walked out with a commitment to roll out nationally across more than 400 stores.
They ran a 90-day test, it worked and Gheelish became one of a handful of popcorn brands carried at Sprouts nationwide.
Here's the detail that still surprises people: the very first bag of Gheelish ever sold wasn't at a farmers market, a local shop, or on Amazon. It was at Sprouts, full stop. Most food brands spend years working toward national retail. We started there seven months after that first meeting.
By the Numbers
4,000+
Stores nationwide
today
Stores nationwide
today
Stores nationwide today
400+
Stores in the original
Sprouts rollout
Stores in the original
Sprouts rollout
Stores in the original Sprouts rollout
90 DAYS
The test that made
it permanent
The test that made
it permanent
The test that made it permanent
7 mo
Kitchen counter to
national shelf
Kitchen counter to
national shelf
Kitchen counter to national shelf
$50
Cost of the popcorn &
seasoning that started it all
Cost of the popcorn &
seasoning that started it all
Cost of the popcorn & seasoning that started it all
Today
Today
Two years later, Gheelish is one of the fastest-growing popcorn brands in the country — in more than 4,000 stores nationwide.
We've grown from popcorn into tortilla chips, with a sweet new product landing this December.
Every product still carries the standard we started with: organic, grass-fed, gluten-free, and seed-oil-free — made from ingredients you could actually find in a real kitchen.
Two years later, Gheelish is one of the fastest-growing popcorn brands in the country — in more than 4,000 stores nationwide.
We've grown from popcorn into tortilla chips, with a sweet new product landing this December.
Every product still carries the standard we started with: organic, grass-fed, gluten-free, and seed-oil-free — made from ingredients you could actually find in a real kitchen.
Two years later, Gheelish is one of the fastest-growing popcorn brands in the country — in more than 4,000 stores nationwide.
We've grown from popcorn into tortilla chips, with a sweet new product landing this December.
Every product still carries the standard we started with: organic, grass-fed, gluten-free, and seed-oil-free — made from ingredients you could actually find in a real kitchen.
The People
Darin and Kelly Alpert started Gheelish at their kitchen counter and now run it full-time. Darin leads the brand's growth and go-to-market strategy. Kelly's read on what real families actually want to feed their kids still shapes every product decision Gheelish makes.
Darin and Kelly Alpert started Gheelish at their kitchen counter and now run it full-time. Darin leads the brand's growth and go-to-market strategy. Kelly's read on what real families actually want to feed their kids still shapes every product decision Gheelish makes.
Nick Bilotti runs the operational backbone of the business, the CPG experience that's turned a kitchen recipe into a national supply chain. Darin calls him a brother, and the way the business runs shows it.
Nick Bilotti runs the operational backbone of the business, the CPG experience that's turned a kitchen recipe into a national supply chain. Darin calls him a brother, and the way the business runs shows it.
What's Next
What's Next
Gheelish started with popcorn because it's one of the most-snacked food in America, and it had no business being made with seed oils. It won't stop there. We're building Gheelish as a home for the rest of the pantry wherever industrial ingredients still dominate and a real alternative doesn't exist yet. If that sounds like a brand you want to stock, invest in, or just snack with, we'd love to hear from you.
Gheelish started with popcorn because it's one of the most-snacked food in America, and it had no business being made with seed oils. It won't stop there. We're building Gheelish as a home for the rest of the pantry wherever industrial ingredients still dominate and a real alternative doesn't exist yet. If that sounds like a brand you want to stock, invest in, or just snack with, we'd love to hear from you.
Stay in the loop
Get behind-the-scenes content from a small snack brand
trying to fix the seed oil problem.
Stay in the loop
Get behind-the-scenes content from a small snack brand
trying to fix the seed oil problem.
Stay in the loop
Get behind-the-scenes content from a small snack brand
trying to fix the seed oil problem.
Stay in the loop
Get behind-the-scenes from a small snack brand trying to fix the seed oil problem.