Doudlah Farms is preparing to launch a new popcorn product through TS Foods as co-packer. The launch has been delayed by a coconut oil supplier dispute but a resolution has been identified. The product carries Demeter (biodynamic) and ROC certifications, which serve as key differentiators against an emerging competitor also using TS Foods.
Related client: [1]
TS Foods (co-packer, contact: Justin) refused to use Doudlah's preferred Wildly Organic coconut oil due to flavor contamination risk. The unrefined version carries a distinct coconut flavor that is difficult to purge from their production line, creating cross-contamination risk for other runs.
TS Foods had been using Nutivia brand coconut oil, which Lucy Doudlah flagged as inconsistent and potentially containing heavy metals — unacceptable given Doudlah's clean-label positioning.
Doudlah Farms will source refined Wildly Organic coconut oil, which is flavorless and eliminates the contamination concern. Key details:
Action items:
- [ ] Lucy: Contact Wildly Organic re refined coconut oil — confirm containers and pricing
- [ ] Mark Hope: Notify Justin (TS Foods) that Doudlah will supply refined coconut oil and request adjusted pricing
To create Amazon listings for the popcorn product, Gilbert needs the following assets from Lucy:
Lucy confirmed she has all of these ready to send.
The VAPG grant reimburses Amazon marketing spend, making Amazon the priority launch channel over the website (website sales are not reimbursable under the current grant structure).
Action items:
- [ ] Lucy: Send all popcorn product assets (UPCs, SKUs, images, descriptions, weights/dims) to Mark Hope and Karly
- [ ] Karly: Create task for Gilbert to build Amazon popcorn listings
- [ ] Lucy: Email Jen to send updated bag graphic with transparent background; CC Mark Hope and Karly
The popcorn product is already live on the Doudlah Farms website as a "coming soon" page. The current graphic on the site is an older version that may not include all certification badges.
Action items:
- [ ] Karly: Update the "coming soon" popcorn page with the final, up-to-date bag graphic once received from Jen
The popcorn bag includes both Demeter (biodynamic) and ROC certification badges. Lucy confirmed these are present on the final bag design. Mark Doudlah flagged that badge approval must come from either TS Foods' certifier or Doudlah's own certifier before bags are printed.
TS Foods is also co-packing a competing ROC popcorn brand for a company referred to as "NS." This competitor is close to launch. Doudlah's Demeter certification is the key differentiator — Demeter is a higher standard than ROC alone and is not expected to be on the competitor's product.
"That's why I think it's very important that we're Demeter as well, because we want to be ahead of those guys." — Mark Doudlah
This makes finalizing and printing the bags with correct Demeter badging a time-sensitive priority.
Yellow popcorn inventory is critically constrained (~120k lbs remaining after cleaning, with the next crop not available until January–February 2027 — approximately 8–9 months away). This does not directly block the popcorn launch (which uses Doudlah's existing stock), but it creates downstream risk if the product sells well.
Contingency: Source organic (non-ROC) yellow popcorn for the [2] to preserve Doudlah Farms' ROC-certified stock for the premium product line.
See also: [3]