The new global identity will connect the company’s popcorn products with its farmer network spread across 39,500 acres
CHENNAI (India CSR): Gourmet Popcornica, a grower and processor of popcorn maize, works with more than 17,500 farmers across eight Indian states, cultivating popcorn maize on approximately 39,500 acres. The company highlighted this farmer network while unveiling The Husk, its new global brand icon, at Big Cine Expo 2026 in Chennai. The icon was unveiled jointly by SBP Pattabhi Rama Rao, Managing Director of Gourmet Popcornica, and Thomas Peace, Director of Sales at Preferred Popcorn, USA, at the company’s stall at the Chennai Trade Centre.
The Company Will Use the Icon on Product Packs and Facilities
Gourmet Popcornica will roll out The Husk across its popcorn bags, processing facilities and future brand communications. The symbol is designed as a hand-drawn corn husk opening around a kernel. The company said the outer curve of the mark represents protection, while the inner line represents the grain being revealed. Through the icon, Gourmet Popcornica will connect its consumer-facing products with the farming communities involved in growing popcorn maize.
Farmers Receive Inputs, Technology and Assured Offtake
Gourmet Popcornica follows a farming model under which farmers provide land and labour, while the company supports them with inputs, technology and assured offtake. The company says this model has helped improve farmer incomes by approximately 40 per cent. The company will continue to strengthen this farm-to-market approach as it expands the use of The Husk across its operations. The icon will represent the role of farmers in the popcorn value chain, beginning with cultivation and extending to processing, packaging and final consumption.
“The Husk represents everything we have built over the last decade. It stands for the protection we extend to our more than 17,500 farmer partners across eight states in India, for the world-class quality we have proven can be grown on Indian soil, and for the innovation that connects the two,” said SBP Pattabhi Rama Rao.
Popcorn Cultivation Has Reached Tribal Farming Communities
Gourmet Popcornica has expanded its popcorn maize cultivation to tribal farmers in Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh, bringing the state into its wider farmer network across eight Indian states. Through its cultivation model, the company supports farmers with quality inputs, technology and assured offtake, while farmers contribute land and labour. This initiative creates a market-linked farming opportunity for tribal communities and connects popcorn grown in Chhattisgarh with the company’s processing and consumer markets. The new global brand icon, The Husk, will also represent this farm-to-consumer journey and the contribution of growers in regions such as Kondagaon.
Founded in Andhra Pradesh in 2016, Gourmet Popcornica operates a processing facility in Musunuru, Andhra Pradesh. It also has a popcorn-specific cold-storage network and a ready-to-cook popcorn premix plant.
The Icon Was Launched at Big Cine Expo 2026
Big Cine Expo 2026 was held on August 18 and 19 at the Chennai Trade Centre. The event brought together stakeholders from the cinema exhibition and theatrical distribution industry. Gourmet Popcornica chose the platform to launch The Husk because popcorn has long been associated with the cinema experience. The company will use the identity to deepen its engagement with theatre partners, distributors and consumers. Thomas Peace of Preferred Popcorn said the icon reflects the company’s commitment to quality, farmer care and growth. “The Husk is a fitting identity for that journey. It is a mark that speaks to quality, care for the farmer, and ambition,” he said. With The Husk, Gourmet Popcornica will present a single global identity that places its 17,500 farmer partners at the centre of its business story.
© Copyright Disclaimer: All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced, republished, distributed or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from India CSR®
