The Supply Side: Veteran-owned popcorn brand coming to Walmart

Johnathon Ervin spent more than 25 years in the military, retiring as a chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force in 1997, and then serving his last 10 years in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He established a final-mile delivery business in 2019, growing it to more than 150 drivers in a few years.

A resident of Palmdale, Calif., Ervin said he wanted to do something nice for his drivers, so he popped some combat corn, which is a staple in the military for troops celebrating after they complete a mission. Ervin said combat corn is freshly popped corn infused with jalapeño flavoring.

“It serves as a symbol of camaraderie, triumph and heritage,” he said. “It’s also a morale-boosting snack for troops returning to base or eaten during downtime. My drivers loved the combat corn I made for them and wanted it more often.”

That set Ervin on a mission to try to bring combat corn to the broader market. In early 2021, he established Battle-Tested Foods and began working with a food scientist and a co-packer to develop the right, shelf-stable recipe for the combat corn. He spent two years getting the recipe as authentic as possible to the military’s combat corn. He began selling the combat corn on his website and to friends and family. In 2024, Ervin closed his final-mile delivery business and went full-time with Battle-Tested Foods, bootstrapping the business with savings and help from a minority partner who owns 15%.

“There was a ton of work to do with the new brand,” Ervin said. “But the response I was getting kept me going. I thought it would be great to share this military snack tradition with the general population. Customers loved it and asked for another flavor, so we came up with a lemon-pepper corn, which has become a top seller.”

Partnering with CrisisTextline.org, Ervin developed a kettle corn flavor that he calls Comedy Corn. Each bag sold donates a portion of the profit to help veterans and civilians in need. The Crisis Textline information is on the packaging.

“We were looking for a lighter flavor and came up with a unique take on kettle corn,” he said. “We saw this as our opportunity to give back and promote strong mental health. Comedy Corn is also rooted in military tradition. Our kettle corn is crafted to bring people together just like the stories shared around the barracks. It’s great for family movie night or sharing laughs with friends.”

Ervin initially worked with a local co-packer but has since found a partner in Georgia who does work for Walmart.

In early 2025, Ervin said a veteran group that he’s a part of led to contact with a Walmart merchant in Austin, Texas, for one of the retailer’s Road to Open Call events this past May. Through the Institute for Veteran and Military Families (IVMF), Ervin received mentoring and met with a merchant who provided feedback and a list of must-dos.

He applied to Open Call through the RangeMe app and got the letter to attend by early fall.

“I’m very thankful for IVMF and the mentoring and for putting together the event that kind of paved the way for me to get accepted for the Open Call in Bentonville,” Ervin said. “The meeting with buyers goes really fast, just 30 minutes, and you have to be prepared.”

Ervin was one of more than 100 brands to get a golden ticket at the Open Call event in Bentonville this past October. He said it was sort of surreal that Walmart saw value in his mission to create a meaningful connection between the military and civilian communities through the universal language of food. Since receiving the golden ticket from Walmart in October, Ervin said there has been a lot to do in the registration process and in setting up the company’s profile to do business with Walmart.

“Right now, we are setting up our profile to sell on Walmart’s Marketplace, and we should be up and available for customers by March,” he said. “We are excited to sell on the marketplace and are hoping to use Walmart’s fulfillment services as well.”

Battle-Tested Foods will sell three flavors on Walmart’s Marketplace in the coming weeks in 4-ounce shareable bags. He is working with his merchant to nail the right price for the products but said they will be competitive with other popcorn brands on the site.

He knows that Marketplace sales can also serve as a roadmap for which physical stores would provide the best opportunity. Ervin said Walmart mentioned October as the first opportunity to get the product into brick-and-mortar stores.

With the co-packer located in Georgia, Ervin is excited about a future launch in the southern states. He said the co-packer is a wealth of information and a great partner that he found online through the Keychain platform for consumer packaged goods manufacturing.

His advice to other hopeful suppliers is to be prepared when the opportunity comes.

“Lots of people have ideas, but it’s only those who master all the details who will find success,” he said. “I still have plenty to learn as I am really just getting started in retail. But I do know the importance of being prepared and paying attention to the details has always served me well.”

Editor’s note: The Supply Side section of Talk Business & Politics focuses on the companies, organizations, issues and individuals engaged in providing products and services to retailers. The Supply Side is managed by Talk Business & Politics.