Sunday Story: All in the Family

Kai Bear’s Popcorn puts a crunchy treat — and a 9-year-old — front and center

by Paula Peters Chambers

August 20, 2023

6:30 AM

The namesake of Kai Bear’s Popcorn, Kai Walker, and his parents, Kimberlee Garnes-Walker and Art Walker (Photo by Jay Paul)

Kai Walker doesn’t need words when he reviews popcorn. A simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down says it all.

The Henrico 9-year-old’s opinion matters more than some might expect, as he is the namesake — and primary decision-maker — behind Kai Bear’s Popcorn, launched earlier this year by Kai and his parents, Kimberlee Garnes-Walker and Art Walker.

“The name comes from my grandma; she calls me Kai Bear,” Kai says, adding that he does not have a teddy bear like the one on the popcorn’s packaging.

The business venture is a marriage of activities the family enjoys: travel, business and popcorn. “We like to watch movies, and [Kai] always wants popcorn,” says Garnes-Walker, a Henrico County elementary school teacher.

“And we like to travel, so we thought about how we could incorporate a business into [our] travel,” says Walker, who is employed by Henrico County.

After searching in vain for a Virginia popcorn vendor, the family found a privately owned movie theater willing to handle production. “[The owner] started working at a movie theater [himself] at the age of 16 and now owns a theater,” Walker says. “He was very supportive of another family venture.”

Kai Bear flavors range from standard to sugary to surprising. Movie Theatre Butter and White Cheddar satisfy the savory traditionalists, while younger customers typically are drawn to sweet Birthday Cake and Cinnamon Bun. For the adventurous: Neapolitan Ice Cream or nonalcoholic Red Sangria and Margarita. “We talked with Kai about how there are flavors that kids like, but we didn’t want to exclude adults,” Walker says.

While every family member gets to vote on new flavors, Kai gets the last word. He recently gave a thumbs-down to Bomb, which had red, white and blue kernels. He also passed on Dill Pickle. “I want people to know that the popcorn [we have] tastes good,” Kai says.

The family sells the popcorn primarily at outdoor events, including Henrico’s Caribbean American Heritage Festival in June and the monthly (through October) Diamond Flea Market. “Our primary market is festivals and fairs, when families come and bring their kids,” Walker says. “We’re not really looking to have [our popcorn] on store shelves, though we’d love to get into movie theaters and onto cruise ships.”

Kai’s parents make sure he understands all aspects of the business. Before and after an event, Kai takes inventory and counts the money. The three discuss break-even points and how vendor participation fees affect their profits. “We do all those calculations with him,” Garnes-Walker says, noting that Kai is good at math — which yields another thumbs-up from Kai.

Sales will soon expand to another venue: the University of Richmond. This fall and winter, hungry fans can enjoy Kai Bear’s Caramel and Birthday Cake popcorn at football games and men’s and women’s basketball games. After a UR purchasing team became acquainted with the brand at an event hosted by the Metropolitan Business League, officials decided the specialty popcorn would be a good addition to their snack selection.

“We know from season ticket holder surveys they like caramel popcorn, which we used to have but is no longer available,” says Richard Jacobs, UR director of retail operations. “[Kai Bear’s] Birthday Cake is a hot flavor and is very, very tasty.”

Kai Bear’s Popcorn is a good fit to the UR concession lineup, Jacobs says. “We want to give the concession guest a great offering but also in a fast manner,” he says. “We can’t offer 50 [concession] items, so we want a couple of nice premium popcorns, a few meals and some candy. This is a unique product that’s local, so it fits the bill.”

As fourth grade approaches, Kai says he might bring popcorn in his lunch box, so classmates can learn about what he does outside of school. Last spring, he shared samples with his class as part of an end-of-year alphabet-inspired countdown. P was for popcorn. Reviews were mixed. “Some of them said they liked it, and then some said it was really sweet,” Kai says.

But Kai knows tastes can change. An original flavor — Froot Loops — had been his favorite. After sluggish sales, he and his parents decided to drop that offering. Kai’s new go-to? White Cheddar.

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by Paula Peters Chambers

August 20, 2023

6:30 AM