Story and photo by Abby Rosengarten Bluffton Icon intern

What's popping in Bluffton? Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn Co. is popping. They are popping up a wide array of flavors made fresh every day.

Shirley's was founded in 2009 by Peter and Kim Suter of Bluffton. They believe that everyone deserves access to great popcorn, regardless of whether they live in a small town or a big city.

"The shop was founded simply because we had the right resources; we had some extra space, we had some extra time, and one of core competencies at the Shannon (Theatre) was making really, really, really great popcorn," said Suter. The Shannon Theatre, also owned by Peter and Kim, located next door to Shirley's, draws approximately 80,000 through its doors annually increasing the value of any retail space nearby.

Shirley's has seven original popcorn flavors that are available every day. Small batches of popcorn are made each day by hand to ensure the highest quality to sell to customers.

"We spent a good deal of time on research and development - trying different flavors and figuring out which flavors we could do better than some of the other gourmet shops, as wells as which flavors our potential customers seemed to yearn for the most," said Suter.

These flavors include: Original Style, Caramel, Cheddar, White Cheddar, Chicago Style, Buckeye, and Chocolate Almond. The Original Style is the same as it was when Shirley served it at the Shannon Theatre, still warm and tasty.

The October flavors of the month were Red Hot Cinnamon for Sweetest Day and Strawberries & Cream for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The November flavors of the month are the Bluffton Icon flavor, which is coffee and chocolate, and Black Forest Cake flavor, which is cherry and chocolate.

However, "the Buckeye flavor is by far our best seller, until Christmas when the December flavor of the month, which is White-Chocolate Peppermint, blows everything out of the water," said Suter.

The different flavors of the month draw new and old customers in, leaving customers always pondering what next month's flavor will be. When customers visit Shirley's they are allowed to sample different flavors and make sure they like the flavor before they buy it. However, when a customer can't decide on just one flavor, Suter suggested purchasing the 3-Way Sampler.

Shirley's 3-Way Sampler allows customers to select three different flavors to be combined in a tin to purchase and take home. The 3-Way Sampler makes an excellent gift for family members you never know what to buy for or for families with varying tastes.

Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn is great for fundraisers, corporate gifting and even weddings. Suter said, "We sell approximately 30 percent of our popcorn through fundraisers and about 10 percent through weddings."

Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn is popular among Bluffton residents and Bluffton University students but the customer reach doesn't stop there. "We have shipped Shirley's literally all over the world: England, Iraq, Canada, Ireland, and further," said Suter.

Shirley's Gourmet Popcorn Company started as a hometown favorite but is now popping across the world.

Shirley's will hold a customer appreciate day on Nov. 6. Details here.

Abby Rosengarten is a student in a Bluffton University feature writing class instructed by Mary Pannabecker Steiner and Fred Steiner.