Brown Bag Popcorn Company, or BBPCo for short, is the perfect place for anyone looking for something to munch on. Whether that be savory or sweet, it’s a great snack to eat!
BBPCo opened in downtown Bend in July, 2022, but that’s not when the popping started.
10 years ago, Lynne Syzmanski walked into her first Craft Beer Brewery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and to her disappointment, they had no snacks. The company wanted to have nuts at first but because they were too expensive, Syzmanski came up with popcorn instead. She came back two days later with Sriracha Lime Cheddar Popcorn which is still sold today. The brewery put the popcorn in bags stamped on a logo, and within a year and a half her popcorn was in 120 different breweries around the country.
“This is kind of my retirement, this is my first retail, I don’t do the wholesale anymore,” said Syzmanski. “Every time we go to a restaurant or go out to eat cake or ice cream I would just get inspired by different recipes.”
The shop always has a dozen of homemade flavors a day that rotate and change throughout the week depending on what’s popular. And they’re not the usual flavors you default to. One of their most popular flavors, Truffle Parmesan Black Garlic—a cheesy flavorful popcorn sprinkled with black garlic that pops in your mouth—is a staple at the market. All 12 flavors of the day are available to sample in a small scoop. Having the opportunity to try the flavors before buying a bag makes the experience a lot of fun.
The market has regular local fundraisers and art walks on first Fridays, including fundraisers for the Humane Society, Deschutes Public Library, the Giving Plate, Bend Family Kitchen, Sparrow Clubs and even Summit’s own Ultimate Frisbee team. Their market is also dog friendly and they have a wall of the pups who have visited the store.
“[BBPCo] hosted multiple events for our team, they helped raise a lot of money through advertising a lot, and they would also contribute bags of popcorn for our fundraising baskets,” said Eila Bodo, a sophomore at Summit. “The employees were all super nice. Fundraising with them was a great experience and they’re always willing to help out with anyone.”
Running to this local gem would be a good idea to grab a bag (or two) for you and your family as they sometimes sell out quickly. With their endless variety of flavors every week, very friendly employees and willingness to help our community, why wouldn’t you want to stop by? So whether you are visiting family around town or you just need some snacks to munch on, this place is in the (brown) bag.
