Brothers Aaron and Rudi Sinykin were working together as Subway franchisees when they made a decision.
“We wanted to do something more positive in the local community,” says Rudi.
In 2013, the brothers sold their Subway franchise and began Kettle Heroes, a gourmet popcorn company that, among other things, makes custom favors and popcorn bars for weddings and other special events.
“We liked popcorn because it was a very creative medium,” says Rudi. “You can really do whatever you would like with it. It’s just a fun product. It’s something that brings a smile to people’s faces.”
All Kettle Heroes products are certified kosher by Chabad of the East Valley, and are gluten-free and produced in a nut-free facility.
“We try to keep our flavors available to as many people as possible,” Rudi says.
Kettle Heroes offers traditional popcorn and kettle corn in a variety of flavors, including aged white cheddar popcorn, Hatch green chile cheddar popcorn, cayenne lime kettle corn and cinnamon sugar kettle corn.
The wedding favors come in individual-size bags that can be labeled with a photo of the wedding couple, a design to match the wedding decor or any other image of the couple’s choosing. For the popcorn bars, Kettle Heroes sells jumbo bags of popcorn along with custom-designed individual serving bags.
The name of the company reflects the Sinykins’ commitment to giving back. A portion of sales goes to local organizations such as Temple Emanuel of Tempe, Valley Beit Midrash and Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. They also reduce food waste by donating undersized kernels to a farm in Mesa to be used as animal feed.
“It was just ingrained in us from an early age that we needed to be conscious of how we impacted the community,” says Rudi. “We wanted to conduct a very socially responsible business, so we look to do that in any aspect we can.”
Call 480-406-8935 or visit kettleheroes.com.
