HOW I GOT HERE

Founder of Propercorn, Cassandra Stavrou, reflects on her business journey

When Cassandra Stavrou, 34, wrote in her school yearbook, aged 14, that she wanted to ‘run her own empire’, she couldn’t have imagined the success that would come her way. Starting in her mum’s kitchen and launching in 2011 with her friend and business partner, Ryan Kohn, Stavrou’s healthy popcorn brand, Propercorn, has been cited as one of the fastest growing snack brands in Europe. Today, Propercorn sells more than 3 million packets a month and is stocked in 10 countries. She tells Red how she did it…

PROPERCORN STARTED WITH MY HUNGRY COLLEAGUES.

After graduating from my law degree at Bristol in 2005, my first job was in advertising. There, I noticed a lot of my colleagues had an afternoon hunger slump. They’d eat rice cakes and be dissatisfied, or chocolate and feel guilty. It led me to think about snacks that would bridge this gap – popcorn came to mind. That day, I told my mum about my idea. She reminded me that the last present my father bought me before he passed when I was 16 was a vintage popcorn machine. This bit of serendipity gave me confidence. A few weeks later, I quit my job and took the leap.

TO RAISE THE INITIAL FUNDS, I TOOK ON EVERY PART-TIME JOB I COULD.

Aged 24,

I moved in with my mum. I worked all hours doing office temp work, dog walking, a bar staff job and paid painting commissions to supplement my savings. It was hard work, but I scraped together a £10,000 start-up fund.

I SPENT MONTHS TRYING TO CONVINCE MANUFACTURERS TO TAKE ON MY IDEA.

So many doors were closed in my face and there were a lot of low points. Eventually, I had a lucky break with a manufacturer in the Midlands – they’re still the factory we use today. Knock-backs are inevitable, but your passion will win over the sceptics.

TRIALLING RECIPES TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION AND PROBLEM-SOLVING.

In the early stages, I repurposed a cement mixer to season the popcorn in my mum’s kitchen. Knowing I wanted Propercorn to be healthy, my next challenge was to find a way of applying oil in the finest possible mist. The solution came from an episode of Top Gear, and resulted in me ordering a car paint-spraying kit online. Amazingly, it worked!

WE COLD-CALLED COMPANIES AND TURNED UP AT OFFICES WITH POPCORN NECKLACES TO GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION.

In 2011, Propercorn was officially launched when we secured our first stockist, Google’s HQ, after one of my friends who worked there arranged a meeting for us. It was an amazing brand to take to other retailers.

PUBLICITY TECHNIQUES HAVE GOT TO OFFER VALUE TO CONSUMERS.

We’ve just launched a Proper TV guide, the idea being that if people want a night in with Netflix and popcorn, Propercorn will help them choose what to watch. You have to treat people like individuals. Jargon without any personalisation will never engage people.

BEFORE LAUNCH, I SPENT £6K ON AN AMAZING DESIGNER FOR OUR PACKAGING.

However, something didn’t feel authentic, so I made the incredibly tough decision to start again. Enlisting an illustrator friend, we drew up new designs, and they form the basis of the packaging today. Looking back, it was the right decision. It’s a fallacy that because you’ve spent money on something you have to stick to it.

‘YOUR PASSION WILL WIN OVER SCEPTICS’