‘Pop it like it’s hot’: Owner’s drive takes popcorn business to new heights

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio (The Columbus Telegram) — Katie Reisdorff was just a teenager about a decade ago when her older sister came home from work one day at the local popcorn shop and asked her if she wanted a job.

“I didn’t know it even existed until my sister started working there,” Reisdorff recalled, noting how her sister was leaving for college and had talked with the store’s owner about her sibling replacing her. “But I thought it would be an interesting opportunity, so I decided to do it. By the time I was 16, I decided I wanted to own it. But my sister got my foot in the door.”

Fast forward to 2020, Reisdorff, 24, is now the owner of Sweet Harvest Popcorn Shoppe, 3401 21st St. in Columbus. She took over the longtime local business on Feb. 17 right before the COVID-19 pandemic got underway, but not even that could slow her down. She has been crushing it monetarily and creatively, seeing plenty of sales and concocting all sorts of salty and sweet treats while upping the business’ menu to approximately 50 flavors.

“The pandemic negatively affected me for about a week, but ever since then, it’s almost like it skyrocketed us,” Reisdorff said. “We’re selling more individual-sized bags, and we’ve been doing a ton of shipping.”

Reisdorff began her tenure at the popcorn shop in November 2010 by handling things like cleaning, restocking and getting product ready for grocery stores. But, her ambition and hard work results in a steady increase of responsibility. Once she got a little older, she learned to operate a heat sealer. In 2017, she learned how to pop the corn and later how to cook it.

“I’ve pretty much got it all down now,” she said.

Reisdorff can and does handle the entire process. With help from 11 part-time employees, she and her team stay busy producing various kinds of popcorn right in the shop throughout the day and evening. She’s got the popper up front and a cooker in the back.

Reisdorff said she’ll pop approximately 35 jumbo bags of popcorn and then cook anywhere from five to 10 kinds in a day.

And the kinds are endless. Since taking ownership nine months ago, she’s developed 19 new flavors. The menu currently includes flavors for everybody, ranging from sweet, salty and savory to even spicy. Among them are honey Sriracha, ranch, honey mustard, salt and vinegar, Cajun, birthday cake, raspberry cream cheese twist, buttery delight, mania munch, green apple and caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate peanut drizzle delight.

“Honestly, most of the time, it’s stuff I have been thinking about for a while,” she said. “If it sounds good, I put it to the test. Being able to put my own and other people’s ideas to action makes me feel really good – I love that aspect. I really enjoy being able to create things. I’m not an artist by any means or good in the kitchen necessarily, but here I can pretty much do anything.”

That determination has served Reisdorff quite well over the years. After graduating from Scotus Central Catholic in 2014, the Columbus native went to Central Community College-Columbus and earned her associate degree. She then went to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and earned an accounting degree while still working at Sweet Harvest.

“I lived in Lincoln Monday-Wednesday nights. I would drive there Monday morning, go to class, and then after I finished class Thursday, I drove back up to Columbus,” she recalled. “I would work here at the shop sometimes Thursday evenings, and then all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”

Her older sister, Amy Tubbs, also of Columbus, said watching her younger sibling’s evolution from employee to business owner has been quite rewarding.

“She loves it. Basically, her dream has come true,” Tubbs said. “I don’t think I could be more proud of my baby sister. I was beyond proud of her when she completed her bachelor’s degree from UNL in three years. It’s just unbelievable how hard she works. I’m just so proud of her.”

Sandie Fischer, the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s events planner and entrepreneur/membership developer, said she thought it was a wonderful opportunity and benefit to Columbus that Reisdorff was able to purchase Sweet Harvest from the previous owner, keeping the business in the hands of local ownership for years to come.

“What an asset to our community to have Sweet Harvest in our backyard,” Fischer said, noting Reisdorff is among the many local business owners who embodies a great entrepreneurship spirit and does a good job thinking outside of the box.

The business continues to blossom under her leadership. Sweet Harvest is sold at its shop, but also in other Columbus locations like Super Saver, Hy-Vee, 7-Mile Mini Mart and Columbus Community Hospital. There are other Columbus businesses that have inquired about selling Sweet Harvest in their locations, Reisdorff noted, and plans are to expand beyond the city. The Pender hospital is already selling it, and people can also find the brand in locations in Central City, Norfolk and West Point.

Reisdorff said she can’t imagine doing anything else and hopes to build upon the business’ rich legacy that started with the previous owner.

“People throughout the years have known our brand and our name, they’ve grown so much. I don’t want to just maintain that, but improve upon that,” she said. “Honestly, so many days I wake up and think ‘I own a business. I’m not sure how this worked out so well for me.’ This is a really good business to own.”

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