Pop Secret
American microwave popcorn brand introduced by General Mills in 1985 and owned by Our Home since 2024.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Pop Secret is an American popcorn brand best known for microwave popcorn. General Mills introduced the brand in November 1985 as Betty Crocker's Pop Secret, using the established Betty Crocker identity to enter a developing convenience-food category. Its first products were butter and natural varieties. At the time, microwave popcorn was sold through inconsistent retail channels, including both freezer and snack sections, and early products could leave substantial numbers of kernels unpopped, particularly in lower-wattage microwave ovens. Pop Secret was marketed as a product designed to work across microwave types, with advertising presenting improved popping performance as the brand's central consumer benefit. The launch was supported by a reported $15 million advertising campaign. By 1987, the brand claimed a leading position in the market, helped by its association with Betty Crocker and by messaging focused on convenience, yield, and reliable results. The Betty Crocker branding was later removed after the brand changed ownership. In September 2008, Diamond Foods acquired Pop Secret from General Mills for approximately $190 million. Snyder's-Lance subsequently purchased the brand from Diamond Foods in 2016; Campbell Soup Company acquired Snyder's-Lance the following year, bringing Pop Secret into Campbell's portfolio. During the 1990s and 2000s, Pop Secret expanded its public profile beyond packaged popcorn through promotions, sports sponsorships, entertainment partnerships, and experimental products. It sponsored NASCAR events, including the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham Speedway and the Pop Secret 500 at Auto Club Speedway. The brand also introduced Pop Qwiz, a range of colored popcorn, and created the What's Your Pop Secret? Theatre to showcase independent filmmakers. Its relationship with Film Independent supported efforts connected with diversity in filmmaking. In 2014, Pop Secret entered the ready-to-eat segment with pre-popped popcorn sold in bags. In 2015, it became the official popcorn of the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort and was named title sponsor of the Fantasmic! nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Our Home acquired Pop Secret from Campbell Soup Company in 2024. The brand remains associated primarily with mass-market microwave popcorn and flavored popcorn products. Its historical positioning combines accessible pricing, household convenience, recognizable flavor varieties, and a promise of dependable popping performance.
History
Pop Secret was introduced by General Mills in November 1985 as Betty Crocker's Pop Secret. The launch began with butter and natural varieties and connected the new popcorn product to the established Betty Crocker household-food identity. The brand entered a microwave-popcorn market that was still developing as retailers placed competing products in different sections of stores. Earlier microwave popcorn products could also produce many unpopped kernels, especially in lower-wattage ovens. Pop Secret's central promise was that it could be used successfully across microwave ovens, addressing a practical problem that affected the category's early adoption. General Mills supported the introduction with a reported $15 million advertising campaign. By 1987, Pop Secret claimed the market lead. Its communications associated improved popping results with the brand's secret and with Betty Crocker, turning a technical preparation benefit into a memorable consumer proposition. The Betty Crocker name was eventually dropped after the brand changed ownership. In September 2008, Diamond Foods bought Pop Secret from General Mills for approximately $190 million. Snyder's-Lance acquired the brand from Diamond in 2016, and Campbell Soup Company acquired Snyder's-Lance in 2017. These transactions shifted Pop Secret from a General Mills cereal-and-baking context into snack-food portfolios while preserving its identity as a mass-market popcorn brand. Pop Secret's brand activity included both product experimentation and entertainment marketing. In the early 1990s it produced Pop Qwiz colored popcorn, including yellow, blue, green, and mystery-color versions. It sponsored NASCAR races, including the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham Speedway and the Pop Secret 500 at Auto Club Speedway. Through the What's Your Pop Secret? Theatre, the brand supported independent filmmakers and later maintained a relationship with Film Independent, an organization focused in part on increasing diversity in filmmaking. In 2014, it introduced pre-popped popcorn in bags, extending the brand into ready-to-eat snacking. In 2015, it became an official popcorn partner of Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort and sponsored Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Our Home acquired Pop Secret from Campbell Soup Company in 2024. The brand's known scope remains centered on microwave popcorn, ready-to-eat popcorn, and flavored popcorn products. Its long-term identity has been built around convenient preparation, accessible household snacking, recognizable flavors, and dependable popping performance.
- 2024
Our Home acquires Pop Secret
[1]Our Home acquires Pop Secret from Campbell Soup Company.
- 2017
Campbell acquires Snyder's-Lance
[1]Campbell Soup Company acquires Snyder's-Lance, adding Pop Secret to its portfolio.
- 2016
Snyder's-Lance acquires the brand
[1]Snyder's-Lance purchases Pop Secret from Diamond Foods.
- 2015
Disney resort partnership
[1]Pop Secret becomes the official popcorn of Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort and sponsors Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
- 2014
Entry into pre-popped popcorn
[1]Pop Secret introduces ready-to-eat pre-popped popcorn in bags.
- 2008
Diamond Foods acquires Pop Secret
[1]Diamond Foods acquires the brand from General Mills for approximately $190 million.
- 1987
Brand claims microwave-popcorn market leadership
[1]After a major advertising push, Pop Secret claims the leading market position and emphasizes reliable performance across microwave wattages.
- 1985
Pop Secret is introduced
[1]General Mills launches Betty Crocker's Pop Secret with butter and natural microwave-popcorn varieties.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, convenient popcorn for home snacking, with emphasis on microwave preparation, familiar flavors, and reliable popping performance.
Microwave popcorn · 1985
Butter microwave popcorn
One of the two varieties present at the brand's 1985 launch. The butter profile helped establish Pop Secret as a familiar, mainstream household popcorn option.
Microwave popcorn · 1985
Natural microwave popcorn
Introduced alongside the butter variety in 1985, the natural offering broadened the initial range while retaining the brand's microwave-convenience proposition.
Novelty flavored popcorn · 1990
Pop Qwiz
A colored-popcorn line associated with the early 1990s. Reported colors included yellow, blue, green, and a mystery bag containing a surprise color.
Ready-to-eat popcorn · 2014
Pre-popped popcorn
Introduced in 2014, the pre-popped range extended Pop Secret from at-home microwave preparation into a format that could be eaten directly from the bag.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Disney resort and Fantasmic! partnership
United States
Pop Secret became the official popcorn of Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort and the title sponsor of Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Outcome. The partnership expanded the brand's visibility through theme-park and nighttime-entertainment placements.
- 2004NASCAR race sponsorships
United States
Pop Secret sponsored NASCAR events including the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham Speedway and the Pop Secret 500 at Auto Club Speedway.
Outcome. The sponsorships connected the brand with major American motorsport events.
- 2000What's Your Pop Secret? Theatre
United States
The brand created a venue and promotional platform for showcasing and supporting independent filmmakers.
Outcome. Pop Secret continued support associated with Film Independent.
- 1990Pop Qwiz
United States
Pop Secret promoted novelty colored popcorn, including mystery-color packaging, to make the product more playful and distinctive.
Outcome. The line is described as a historical product initiative; current status is unknown.
- 1985Betty Crocker's Pop Secret launch campaign
United States
General Mills introduced Pop Secret under the Betty Crocker identity, using a substantial advertising effort to communicate microwave convenience and improved popping performance.
Outcome. The brand claimed market leadership by 1987.
Brand decisions
2024
Our Home acquires Pop SecretM&ABackground
Campbell Soup Company divested the brand after holding it through the Snyder's-Lance acquisition.
Action taken
Our Home acquired Pop Secret from Campbell Soup Company.
Aftermath
Our Home became the brand's owner and parent company.
2017
Campbell Soup Company acquires Snyder's-LanceM&ABackground
Campbell Soup Company expanded its snack-food holdings through the acquisition of Snyder's-Lance.
Action taken
Campbell acquired Snyder's-Lance, including the Pop Secret brand.
Aftermath
Pop Secret remained part of Campbell's brand portfolio until its later sale to Our Home.
2016
Snyder's-Lance acquires Pop SecretM&ABackground
Diamond Foods sold the popcorn brand after owning it since 2008.
Action taken
Snyder's-Lance purchased Pop Secret.
Aftermath
The brand moved into Snyder's-Lance's snack portfolio before that company was acquired by Campbell Soup Company.
2014
Launch pre-popped popcornProduct launchBackground
The brand expanded beyond popcorn prepared in a microwave.
Action taken
Pop Secret introduced pre-popped popcorn sold in bags.
Aftermath
The move gave the brand a ready-to-eat format in addition to its established microwave products.
2008
Diamond Foods purchases Pop SecretM&ABackground
General Mills sold the popcorn brand after more than two decades of ownership.
Action taken
Diamond Foods acquired Pop Secret in September 2008 for approximately $190 million.
Aftermath
The transaction removed the brand's access to Betty Crocker branding.
Acquisition price. Approximately $190 million (September 2008)
1985
Launch microwave popcorn under Betty CrockerProduct launchBackground
General Mills entered a growing microwave-popcorn category in which consumers faced inconsistent retail placement and uneven popping performance.
Action taken
The company introduced butter and natural Pop Secret varieties under the Betty Crocker name.
Aftermath
The brand claimed market leadership by 1987.
Sources1 sources
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