Portlebay popcorn cappuccino

Two popcorn brands have announced the launch of cappuccino-flavoured variants within days of each other.

Ten Acre, which names its variants after characters from the fictional village of its name, is adding two new flavours to its line-up: Lucia Popperley’s Cappuccino and Cousin Penelope’s Strawberry & Cream (rsp: £0.69/28g).

The former was “a nod to the vibrant coffee and café industry, said Tony Goodman, CEO at Ten Acre brand owner Yumsh Snacks. “We have had fantastic reviews during consumer tastings, and are very excited about seeing the reaction to the latest additions to our snacking family.”

Meanwhile, Devon-based Portlebay Popcorn’s new cappuccino flavour rolls into Budgens stores nationwide and indies next week, followed by Tesco later this summer (rsp: £1.70/75g). The front of the bag invites consumers to ‘Espresso Yourself!’

“We strive to constantly innovate and continue to drive the popcorn offering forward, and with our latest addition a category first we anticipate phenomenal demand,” said Portlebay founder and former Burts Chips director Jonty White. He established the company with two other ex-Burts employees, former financial director Neil Adams and former business unit director Steve Wardlaw, opening the company’s 10,000 sq ft factory in Plympton in 2012.

The Devon-based business had experienced “huge growth” in the past 12 months, said White, with sales boosted by the addition of a ‘sweet’ range launched in August last year.

While cappuccino has been one of the defining drinks of the coffee shop culture in the past 20 years, there are signs its popularity could be waning. Starbucks, the world’s largest chain of coffee shops, has taken the drink off menus in some US outlets in cities such as New York, Seattle and San Francisco – not long after it started selling fashionable flat whites.