Things are Popping for Brand New West Chester Mother-Daughter Business

Things are popping these days for a mother-daughter duo who are bringing a family-favorite treat to market life, and to market in West Chester.

Maureen Namiotka and her daughter Maigan (sic) have launched Mojos Pop Co. from a kitchen at the Artisan Exchange in West Chester.  The  toffee almond popcorn concoction is new to the gourmet snack market, but an old favorite among Maureen’s friends and family who have been urging to go into business selling her popcorn treat for the past 20 years.

“I started giving it out as samples and little gifts and everybody loved it,” Maureen tells West Chester Patch. “I kind of started it as a little business and it was growing, but my family was growing so I decided to put it on the back burner and do it someday when my kids were grown.”

That day was Saturday when the Maniotkas officially opened for business in what the younger partner described as a ‘soft opening.’

“Maigan’s my oldest and she’s a pastry chef (she trained at Johnson and Whales University in North Carolina) and she’s a bright, wonderful girl so we decided this is something we’re going to do together,” Maureen tells Patch.

Where did they get the name? “My name is Maureen and my middle name is Jo so my husband would call me ‘Mojo’ as a joke.  I didn’t really like it but they all thought it was great so it stuck.”

The mother and daughter duo are getting their mojo on mixing the crunchy, sweet, salty nutty flavors into a snack that comes wrapped up in bright red and white bows (they’ll customize the packaging for special themed orders) that sell in 8 and 16 ounce bags for $8 and $15 respectively.  They also make smaller 4 ounce bags for table directions (think wedding tables, corporate events) for $5.

Since they’re literally starting out the retail business this week, the Namiotkas are still building a list of places where you can buy the Mojo Popcorn. For now, you can buy it every Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Artisans Exchange in West Chester (where the snack is also made). You can also order by calling or sending an email inquiry. That information is available on the Mojo website which is: mojospopco.com.