Pop Popcorn Launch — Minimum Run Order Decision
Overview
During the January 9, 2026 check-in, Mark and Karly aligned on the initial order strategy for Pop Popcorn. The decision was to start with the smallest quantity the manufacturer will run — an intentionally experimental, low-risk approach before committing to larger inventory.
Decision
Order the minimum run quantity offered by the manufacturer.
This was a deliberate strategic choice, not a budget constraint. The reasoning:
- Short shelf life — Pop Popcorn has a limited window before it goes stale, making large unsold inventory a real risk.
- Unknown market demand — There is no prior sales data for this product. The team does not yet know how it will perform.
- Experimental posture — The goal of the first order is to test and learn, not to scale. Starting small preserves flexibility.
"We want to start and experiment with it and play with it… we need to start small. So we should start with the smallest order we can make that's not prohibitively expensive."
— Mark Hope
Context
Lucy (client contact at Doudlah Farms) was finalizing the bag design for Pop Popcorn at the time of this meeting, with plans to send it to the manufacturer for popping and filling. The order quantity question came up as a next step in that process.
This product is distinct from [1] (the 6lb bag line), which is an established product with a known margin profile. Pop Popcorn is a new, separate SKU being launched under the Doudlah Farms umbrella.
Action Items
- [ ] Email Lucy to confirm minimum run quantity with the manufacturer (@Karly Oykhman)
- [ ] Place the minimum run order once quantity is confirmed (@Karly Oykhman)
Related
- [2]
- [3]
- [4]