JoAnn Hallum
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Nestled in a shopping center on First and Nees in Fresno is a little shop waiting to blow your mind. Locally owned, it’s full of gourmet popcorn of every flavor imaginable, from Butter Rum to Caramel Cheese to Dill Pickle. With over 60 flavors to choose from, Grandpa’s Popcorn & Sweets is the popcorn epicenter of the Valley.
Decisions, decisions!
Treats for your gluten-free sweet
When you visit, you’ll realize there’s more than just popcorn at Grandpa’s. Sweet treats are on display, and cupcakes of various flavors and sizes make you question if you’re there for popcorn or for cupcakes. The answer? Both, of course.
Grandpa’s Popcorn also boasts a cotton candy tree where you can “pick” your favorite flavors of cotton candy. For those with a spicy bent, here’s where you can buy a chocolate-dipped jalapeño. It’s a sweet lover’s paradise, but it’s also a safe place for people who have food allergies. The store is peanut free, tree nut free, and latex free. The popcorn is gluten free as well.
Cupcakes at Grandpa’s Popcorn & Sweets. This would also make a great breakfast choice IMO. Photo by Grandpa’s Popcorn & Sweets.
Sample to your heart’s content
Since the popcorn flavors range from sweet to savory (and both), it can be difficult to decide what to get. Luckily the wall is lined with sample containers full of every flavor of popcorn. If you’ve always wanted to try caramel apple popcorn but you’re not sure you want to commit to a bag, just give the knob a turn and take a sample. Sample at your own risk though—you’ll probably end up taking home more than one flavor once you’ve tried a few.
Perhaps the best part of this popcorn paradise is that it’s family owned. The logo is a caricature of owner Daniel Campbell’s grandfather, Fred. They’re actually part of a Midwestern popcorn empire started by Fred’s brother 50 years ago. Luckily for us, they’ve brought their popcorn know-how to Fresno.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting SO MUCH popcorn
New flavor for National Popcorn Day
On Friday, Jan. 19, Grandpa’s will be celebrating National Popcorn Day by introducing a new mystery flavor. They’ll be passing out free sample bags of this flavor while supplies last.
And, if you’re needing to stock up on your favorite popcorn, you can buy three bags and get the fourth free. There are other exciting things taking place, like a raffle for a 3.5 gallon tin of popcorn. If you’re looking for a way to make Friday pop, this is your best bet.
Photo from Grandpa’s Popcorn & Sweets Facebook
Where to find Grandpa’s
If you want to check out Grandpa’s Popcorn & Sweets, they’re located at 673 E. Nees Ave. near Save Mart. You can follow their National Popcorn Day event page on Facebook here. Even if you can’t make it to the store, you can order your favorite popcorn flavors on their website here. You can even order through Uber Eats if you want popcorn delivered to your door. Whatever you do, take time to check out Fresno’s POP-ular popcorn destination—you won’t regret it.
Have you been to Grandpa’s Popcorn & Sweets? Let me know what your favorite flavor is in the comments. And you get bonus points if you’ve actually tried the chocolate-dipped jalapeño.