We’re proud to share that Kettle Heroes was featured today in the Phoenix Business Journal‘s Enterprise AZ series, which spotlights companies building and making things right here in Arizona. Associate Editor Mignon A. Gould visited our new factory and sat down with co-founders Rudi and Aaron Sinykin to talk about where we started and where we’re headed.
Read the full article in the Phoenix Business Journal (subscription): Kettle Heroes popcorn brand expands to all Fry’s stores
Here are the highlights.
Coming to every Fry’s in Arizona
You can already find Kettle Heroes at select Fry’s stores. In early 2027, we’re rolling out to every Fry’s location across Arizona. That means our best sellers, including Aged White Cheddar, Hatch Green Chile Cheddar, O.G. Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn and Spicy Dill Pickle, will be on the shelf at a Fry’s near you.
A new factory built to grow with Arizona
We recently finished our new 21,000-square-foot factory here in Arizona, roughly seven times the size of the shared 4,000-square-foot space where we used to pop in Tempe. Our new automated packaging line takes us from about 5 bags a minute to 75. It’s a big step for a family business, and it was built to grow with us for years to come.
Why does that matter to you? As Rudi told the Journal, the more we grow and bring our costs down by making everything ourselves, the more we’re able to give back.
From a food truck to 1,000+ stores
Kettle Heroes started in 2013 as a food truck at Arizona farmers markets and Cardinals games. In 2015, the Basha family tasted our popcorn at the Gilbert Farmers Market and asked if we could bag it for their stores. That question turned a food truck into a packaged popcorn brand. Today, Kettle Heroes is sold in more than 1,000 stores in 45 states.
Real heroes on every bag
Every bag of Kettle Heroes features a real, everyday hero: nurses, teachers, veterans, first responders and the everyday people who make our communities better. A portion of every sale supports the Pat Tillman Foundation’s academic scholarships for military service members, veterans and their spouses.
“We’re just trying to make really good popcorn and support heroes. If we were going to spend our lives working on something, we wanted to do something that was going to try to help others.”
Rudi Sinykin, co-founder and CEO
Thank you
To the Phoenix Business Journal, our retail partners, our team at the factory, and every customer who has picked up a bag: thank you. You make all of this possible.
Find Kettle Heroes: Shop online at KettleHeroes.com or find us locally at Whole Foods, AJ’s Fine Foods, Fry’s and Total Wine.
Real Ingredients. Real Bold Flavor. Real Everyday Heroes.
