Prospector Popcorn

I love giving (and getting!) consumable gifts. Bonus if the company has a mission I believe in, or that my recipient would appreciate. It's like a 2-in-1 gift! The folks at Prospector Popcorn recently sent me a sampler pack that I couldn't wait to share with you. 

First, a little bit about the company. Prospector Theater is a 501(c)(3) non-profit movie theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut which employs people with disabilities. Started by Valerie Jensen, Prospect aims to provide their employees with "popportunities" for higher quality of life through meaningful work. Val noticed how few adults with disabilities (including her sister, Hope, born with Down syndrome) were employed. (Nationally, 80% of people with disabilities do not have a job.) She sought to create an opportunity for talented, motivated, capable, and hardworking people with disabilities to work.

Since opening in 2014, Prospector Theater has employed over 300 people, 75% of whom have a disability. Obviously, you can't run a movie theater without popcorn! Professional "popcornistas" create Prospector's gourmet flavors daily at the theater. It is so popular that they now ship it around the globe.  

We got to try three flavors and they were all AMAZING. We started with the Belgian Chocolate Toffee: caramel popcorn, drizzled with Belgian chocolate, and sprinkled with toffee and pretzels. It was absolutely fantastic. 

I thought the Belgian Chocolate Toffee would be my favorite until I tried Maple Walnut Ice Cream. Wow. It was so unique and so, so good. The popcorn is drizzled with "ice cream" (white chocolate vanilla drizzle) and local maple syrup, then sprinkled with walnuts. It's to die for. 

Even the 'boring' Classic Caramel is something special. It's not a glorified Cracker Jack; imagine gooey caramel with a hint of vanilla and just the right amount of salt. Perfection!

There are eight standard flavors, which you can buy individually or in packs. It makes a fantastic gift for practically anyone. It would be an especially meaningful gift for someone who has a connection with, or cares about, the disabled community (in other words, practically everyone). Of course, you can also support Prospector through donations or by seeing a movie if you're local to Connecticut. Enjoy!