Since opening in 2017, The Auburn Popcorn Company has been gracing downtown Auburn's presence with freshly popped popcorn. With about 14 different flavors, there is a salty and sweet treat for everyone who ventures into the store.
The popcorn store originally started as an idea by co-owners William and Cindy Andrews who simply had a love for popcorn. At the time, Auburn had nothing like it, so they wanted to bring a popcorn business to the area.
“We thought it’d be a good addition, especially to the downtown area,” William said. “So, it took us quite a few years to actually find a location down here that would fit. I mean, I say we’ve been here over eight and a half years, but this whole thing probably is 12 years in the making.”
Since the very beginning, The Auburn Popcorn Company has been a family business. The only current employees in the company are William, Cindy and their children. William’s family has been in the Auburn area since 1947, and they now have four generations of Auburn University graduates. Two of their children are currently enrolled in Auburn as well.
A typical day for the store starts at around 4:30 a.m. when Cindy starts making the popcorn before the store opens. They start by popping big batches of normal popcorn before separating them and topping them with different flavors. With so many different ones to choose from, there’s a flavor for everyone.
“Everything we have here sells,” William said about the flavor options. “I mean, you have your people that love dill pickle. They’ll buy the dill pickle or the salt and vinegar, and they’ll buy the salt and vinegar.”
Some of their bestsellers are the most common popcorn flavors, such as the caramel and cheddar, or Windy Cindy, which is caramel and cheddar mixed together. For those looking for more fancy and sweeter options, The Auburn Popcorn Company offers chocolate drizzle, birthday cake and caramel pecan popcorn. The more savory options include jalapeño cheddar and everything but the bagel popcorns.
“I like our [jalapeño cheddar popcorn] better than other places,” William said. “Because my biggest complaint, and how we came up with it was I would order from other places, and it just didn’t have the bite that I was looking for. With ours, we found a way to give it that bite that we were looking for, but there’s probably not a flavor up here that I won’t eat.”
Not only do they sell fresh popcorn, the store also sell various candy and Hershey’s ice cream. They were actually the first company to bring Hershey’s ice cream to the area. Some of the ice creams available in store are the salty caramel truffle, birthday cake, cookies and cream and mint moose tracks.
“We didn’t want to bring ice cream into the store that you could just go into the grocery store and buy,” William said. “I mean, we want something a little bit different, a little bit more unique.”
The Auburn Popcorn Company is especially grateful for the Auburn community for keeping them afloat and enjoying their treats. The majority of their business comes from people visiting in town but also locals and businesses who order from them.
“When we started our business, we weren’t necessarily just trying to cater to the University, which seems kinda odd, because we’re right here, a stone throw away," William said. "But, you know, what we were using the University for is, it’s kinda like our Disneyland. That’s what brings people in town. We’re here, and they can enjoy it.”
The store has catered at many University and UPC events before, and they even cater weddings. They usually expect to get one event order a week for their popcorn. They also offer online ordering for pickup or delivery, so everyone has the opportunity to try their products.
As for the future, William has not thought too far ahead. He is mainly focused on his personal life, especially with his children about to graduate from Auburn. The family is already content with the path The Auburn Popcorn Company is currently on.
“Could there be potential growth where we add more stores or other places?” William said. “Possibly, or we might just say, you know what? We’re happy just doing what we do.”
As visitors and locals walk down the streets of downtown Auburn, the warm interior and smell of freshly made popcorn draw them into the store day after day. For The Auburn Popcorn Company, they have found their sweet spot and hope to continue serving popcorn to the community for years to come.
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Katelyn Smith, sophomore majoring in journalism, is from Birmingham, Alabama. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the fall of 2025.
