Pop Daddy Snacks, a family-owned snack manufacturer based in Howell, Michigan, has leveraged Food Export–Midwest programs since 2018 to accelerate its international growth and elevate its brand presence across global markets. Known for bold, uniquely seasoned popcorn, pretzels, and kettle chips—made in small batches without artificial flavors—Pop Daddy sources premium kernels from Midwest family farms and produces hand-seasoned snacks enjoyed by both health-conscious and indulgent consumers worldwide.
Pop Daddy’s export journey took a major step forward during Food Export’s 2018 Focused Trade Mission to Toronto for Specialty and Natural Products. During the mission, the company met with a specialty food retailer who placed orders totaling more than $500,000, establishing a strong foothold in Canada. Since then, Pop Daddy has continued building on this momentum through consistent participation in the Market Access Program (MAP)-funded Branded Program, which has supported their international marketing strategies, sample shipments, social media advertising, packaging modifications, and trade show participation.
With Branded Program support, Pop Daddy rapidly expanded distribution, increased brand awareness, and introduced new flavors tailored to Canadian retail demand. In 2022 alone, Branded Program-funded promotions—including multilingual website updates, participation in multiple Canadian trade shows, and new product introductions—helped the company achieve $200,000 in sales, gain two new foreign buyer contacts, and establish one new agent relationship. Today, Pop Daddy products are available in over 33,000 stores, including retailers throughout Canada, Bermuda, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Caribbean.
Across five consecutive years of Branded Program participation, Pop Daddy has achieved approximately $4.5 million in annual sales, with an estimated $2.5 million generated through exports. The company projects 25–30% growth over the next twelve months, expects to add at least five new foreign buyer contacts, and plans to establish three additional distributorships as it continues expanding internationally.
Owner and CEO Mark Sarafa credits Food Export as a key partner in their export success, noting, “Food Export provided us the platform to launch internationally. They absorbed a substantial part of the risk that we would not have taken on our own. Pop Daddy’s relationship with Food Export personnel has yielded many positive results, including gaining distribution in new export markets, increased brand awareness, participation in more trade shows, and an overall increase in sales.”
Pop Daddy continues its involvement in Food Export programs—including Buyers Missions, webinars, and the Online Product Catalog—as it builds on its strong international momentum and brings its bold, chef-inspired snacks to more consumers around the world.
Food Export uses funding from the Market Access Program (MAP) to help America’s small businesses increase their exports of food and agricultural products. As these exports increase, these small businesses are creating jobs and improving the strength and stability of our agricultural economy. Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast are non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with their member state departments of agriculture and the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. They offer a wide range of programs and services that help boost America’s agricultural exports.
