Partner Spotlight: Popadelics

Marilyn Yang, Co-Founder & Owner, Fun-Gal Snacks

Popadelics
popadelics.com

Popadelics creator and original “fun gal”, Marilyn Yang founded Fun-Gal Snacks on a mission to create innovative snacks that harness the benefits of mushrooms and other underloved veggies—all while supporting social causes.

Give us a brief background on yourself and your business!

By way of introduction -  my name is Marilyn Yang, and I'm the Co-Founder and CEO of Fun-Gal Snacks, the parent company of Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips, shiitake mushrooms reimagined for the modern superfood snacker. We launched in April 2022 and are NYC-based, and in addition to Amazon and our own website, our snacks are currently carried in 300+ stores nationwide, notably Urban Outfitters, Lassens, and Foxtrot. 

Popadelics is currently available in three mouth-watering, culinary-inspired flavors — Trippin’ Truffle Parm, Twisted Thai Chili, and Rad Rosemary + Salt. Our snacks are vegan, gluten-free, OU kosher certified, and Non-GMO Project certified, and a portion of all sales supports the Fun-Gal Snacks Foundation, which supports health and wellness causes. 

The founding of Popadelics is a full circle moment for me. It personifies the celebration of my Chinese heritage (so - shiitake mushrooms) blended with my favorite “Western” flavors .

How did you start your business, and what inspired you?

My co-founder Mike Casali and I (Marilyn Yang), partners in both business and in life, are both huge lifelong mushroom lovers - to the extent that it was actually a concrete topic we bonded over when we first started dating. Personally, I was a super picky eater growing up, and mushrooms of all kinds were probably the only thing that my parents could get me to eat at one point. Liking mushrooms is actually a defining part of my personality - when I first told some friends about Popadelics during the early days of coming up with the idea, I actually had a friend say to me, “Marilyn, that’s so on brand for you,” if that’s any indication! 

As for how Popadelics specifically came about, it really traces back to the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020. Mike and I live in NYC, so we were very much cooped up in our small apartment in those early days. We are both from finance backgrounds, have always wanted to start a company, but just never had the right idea. During this lockdown period, we had a lot of time to brainstorm, but also the only occasion we had to leave our apartment was to go grocery shopping. As foodies, that was the closest we could get to eating out at the time, so we started more or less trying all of the new snacks in the snack aisle. And it really just hit us one day - if there are kale chips, carrot chips, and cauliflower chips, why shouldn’t there be mushroom chips, too?

I have come a long way from being embarrassed to bring "strange" food to my elementary school cafeteria to now being the proud founder of an Asian-inspired snack product.

It started out with just us being consumers and huge mushroom lovers and wanting to try some mushroom chips, and we were surprised to find that mushroom chips were more or less nonexistent, at least in stores, and the mushroom chips that were out there online were unbranded, unflavored, and unexciting. There wasn’t much of a mushroom chip category at all, which we were surprised by.

That got the creative juices flowing, and the more we looked into it, the more excited we got - namely, we felt that the timing was perfect between not only mushrooms rising in popularity between the introduction of mushroom coffees, teas, and supplements, but also having the free time during COVID to focus on a startup. And so, Popadelics was born - we wanted to create a young, edgy brand that got both mushroom lovers and doubters alike excited about eating mushrooms.

How does your identity as an Asian American influence your work?

The founding of Popadelics is a full circle moment for me. It personifies the celebration of my Chinese heritage (so - shiitake mushrooms) blended with my favorite “Western” flavors (or the three culinary-inspired flavors of Popadelics). Growing up Asian American forced me to really solidify my personal identity as a unique mix of my Chinese heritage and American culture, which culminated in the creation of Popadelics!

We identified supporting Chinatowns and AAPI communities around the country more broadly as one of our first initiatives.

What is the significance of being an Asian founder/business owner in your specific industry?

I have always seen food as a key aspect of my Chinese heritage, and have come a long way from being embarrassed to bring "strange" food to my elementary school cafeteria to now being the proud founder of an Asian-inspired snack product. Shiitake mushrooms originated in China between 1000 and 1100 A.D., and while they are not as commonly cultivated or consumed in the U.S., our ultimate goal with Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips is to make shiitake mushrooms and mushrooms of all kinds mainstream, and to revolutionize the way people think about mushrooms. Longer term, Popadelics is only the beginning; under the Fun-Gal Snacks umbrella, we hope to eventually create other snack products featuring other “underloved” (many of which are Asian) ingredients and veggies.

What advice would you give to others in the AAPI community who are looking to start or grow their own business?

Don't be afraid to start something that's different, or otherwise challenges the norms in that given industry! Especially with how quickly the consumer landscape is changing by the day, there has been no better time than now to disrupt old business ideas and models.

Why is it important to you to give back to the AAPI community in your work?

When I co-founded Fun-Gal Snacks and Popadelics, having some aspect of social impact was critical. As such, we also started the Fun-Gal Snacks Foundation, a charitable organization that supports various causes centered around health and wellness. Among other causes (including the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research), we also identified supporting Chinatowns and AAPI communities around the country more broadly as one of our first initiatives, particularly given the xenophobia that occurred around the time of COVID, when we founded the Company.

What’s your favorite item that you sell?

I joke that all of our flavors are like my children, so obviously I can't pick a favorite! As such - I'd have to say our variety pack, of course. You may be surprised what flavor ends up being your favorite, too!

What are your go-to spots in Chinatown, and your must-buy items from there?

Buddha Bodai One on Mott Street is one of my favorite vegan restaurants in NYC! Everything is delicious, although I'm partial to the "chicken" dishes!

If you’d like to support Popadelics, visit their website. This May for APAHM, 10% of the proceeds from the variety backs will go to Welcome to Chinatown!