Made in Phoenix Since 1998

Cactus Corn started with one small-batch recipe, a love for the Southwest, and an honest belief that popcorn could be something worth talking about. It still is.

How It Started

Mike and Sharon Levandowski started Cactus Corn in 1998 with a simple idea: make popcorn the way it deserves to be made. Small batches. Real ingredients. No shortcuts. The kind of snack you reach for first and remember long after the bag is gone.

They started outside Chase Field with a folding table and a few flavors. From there, the Diamondbacks invited them inside, then came Salt River Fields, then a food truck, then a retail line. What has never changed is who is making it and how. Every bag is still made by hand in Phoenix by the same family that started this.

The Southwest shapes everything about what we do. The heat influences our spice tolerances. The desert landscape feeds our flavor imagination. Prickly Pear, Roasted Street Corn, White Cheddar Jalapeno — these are flavors that come from actually living here, not from a trend report.

Cactus Corn kiosk at Chase Field, Phoenix AZ Cactus Corn at Chase Field — home since 2008
Mike Levandowski stirring kettle corn at the kiosk Every batch starts the same way — Mike at the kettle, early Phoenix days

What We Believe In

Small batches, always We make popcorn in small runs because quality suffers when you scale too fast. Small batches mean fresher popcorn and better control over every bag that goes out the door.
Honest ingredients We use real butter, real seasoning, and real flavors. Nothing artificial in the things that matter. We list our ingredients clearly because people deserve to know what they are eating.
Made here, shipped everywhere We are a Phoenix company. That is not a marketing line — it is where we live, where we make everything, and where we have been operating for over 25 years.
A gift worth giving A lot of what we ship goes as gifts. We take that seriously. The packaging is clean, the product is fresh, and it arrives ready to give.

The People Behind the Popcorn

Cactus Corn is a small team. The same people who develop the flavors are the ones packing the orders and answering customer emails. That is intentional. When a company gets too far removed from its product, you can taste it.

We have been in Phoenix long enough to watch the city grow up around us. The restaurants that inspire our flavors, the local events we show up at, the repeat customers who order every holiday — all of it is woven into what Cactus Corn is now.

When you order from us, you are buying from the people who made it. That has always been the point.

Cactus Corn at the market, Phoenix AZ The Cactus Corn team at the market, Phoenix AZ

A Few Milestones

1998
Cactus Corn is founded in Phoenix by Mike and Sharon Levandowski. It starts simply: a small setup outside Chase Field, a few flavors, and a lot of popcorn.
2008
The Diamondbacks invited us inside. Cactus Corn sets up in sections 118 and 317 at Chase Field, putting the popcorn in front of a much bigger crowd.
2011
Salt River Fields opens for its inaugural spring training season, and Cactus Corn is there from day one.
2012
Expansion into additional venues across the Valley. More places, more people, same popcorn.
2013
Cactus Corn launches one of the first popcorn-focused food trucks in Arizona, bringing the product to street fairs, farmers markets, and private events.
Today
Still making every bag by hand in Phoenix. Still the same family behind it. A lot has grown, but what matters has not changed.
Six signature flavors, made in small batches: Original Kettle, White Cheddar Jalapeno, Sweet Butter, Roasted Street Corn, Birthday Cake, and Prickly Pear. Each one developed in-house, each one made by hand. Browse the full lineup.

Try the Popcorn That Started It All

Handmade in Phoenix since 1998. Ships nationwide in 1-2 business days. Free gift message on every order.

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View Cactus Corn’s Feature on Arizona Highways in 2024