Let’s get it popping with Cornucopia’s Nadia Elhaj (also free popcorn)

Nadia Elhaj

Man popcorn is good. I find it interesting cause it works plain on its own (and fairly healthy), but you can also put almost anything on it and it’s also still delicious. Honestly, popcorn is a bit of a miracle.cornucopia tins

That’s why we got excited when we learned about Cornucopia. It’s like the Baskin Robbins of popcorn. They have 30 flavors of popcorn including vegan and gluten-free options. Eat your heart out Willy Wonka. We had to learn more so we reached out to learn more and connected with the owner, Nadia Elhaj.

So pull up a chair and let Nadia tell you about popcorn and Austin. And then we’ll show you how you can get a lifetime of popcorn.

EAA: How did you get into the popcorn business?

Nadia: Got into the popcorn business 13 years ago.  I was in my late 20’s and had no idea about all that was involved in running my own business. I started by just buying an old popcorn machine on craigslist for $1500 …with virtually no business knowledge, I learned on the fly and tried to keep my eyes open .

The man who sold me the popcorn machine, Mark, used to own a popcorn shop and was very generous in teaching me what he knew.

EAA: Who are your ideal customers?  Our ideal customers are people who are interested in tasting new flavors of popcorn, and living outside the box a little. While we do serve plain Buttered original, we like it when people are ready to explore things they’ve never tried, like Dill Pickle or Birthday Cake popcorn.  We also love it when our popcorn fans bring their favorite Cornucopia flavors into their jobs, Weddings, work events, movie nights, birthday parties, and picnics.

This support of local business, that’s so unique to Austin, is how my small business thrives!

EAA: When did you get to Austin?

Nadia: I’m originally from Houston.  I went to UT and graduated in ’04.  I didn’t grow up here, but after 21 years it feels like home!

EAA: What would you recommend to people moving here?

Nadia: Find your favorite hiking trail, your favorite swimming hole, and all the great outdoor spots that Austin has to offer. Even during Corona, Austin has a lot to do. My favorite spots are Deep Eddy, Red Bud, the Greenbelts, and Townlake.

EAA: Any charities or non-profits you are interested in/work with/otherwise want to give a shout out to?

Nadia: We love working with charities! We just finished a fundraiser for Austin Wild Life Rescue and were able to raise $500 to help them.

We have also started a new fundraiser with St Jude for the months of August & September. Every purchase of our Gold wrapped tin will donate $10 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, now through September 30th

So be sure to go check out Cornucopia and the Guide to Austin to see all of the Austin businesses we love.

I’m pretty sure if you made it this far, you enjoy some popcorn. And we’ve got great news for you, we are giving away a 2 gallon tin of popcorn from Cornucopia. Here’s the thing, not only are you getting free popcorn….when you bring the tin back in, you get 50% of popcorn FOR LIFE!  If you enter and win, you are literally getting a prize for the rest of your days. That’s a first.

All you have to do is put your email address in at the top of the page by September 3 and you have a chance to win a popcorn deal for life!