Jetta’s Gourmet Popcorn is a Sweet Taste of Detroit’s “Sticky Goodness”

By Rasha Almulaiki

Since 1997, Magita Barbee’s gourmet popcorn and fun food confections have been a staple for sweets lovers in Detroit. Jetta’s Gourmet Popcorn offers an assortment of popcorn confections including a combination order of sweet and salty mixtures, including chocolate.

“What keeps me going is the passion,” said Barbee. “ Just the desire to do it and then hear from people and get calls, emails, text messages, telling me how good the product is and posting about it’s the best popcorn they’ve had. Knowing there are people out there that desire my product makes me want to make sure I give it to them.”

Her passion for crafting a fun foods business grew out of her time learning the ropes of dessert making at the iconic national Detroit-based brand, Sanders Country Bakery in the early ‘90s. After graduating from the University of Detroit, Barbee worked as a retail manager at the shoppe where she learned to make sundaes, milkshakes, banana boats and other ice cream favorites.

This experience inspired her to start her own business, Breezin Concessions, an ice cream truck that allowed her the mobility to travel through the city serving hot dogs, pretzels, hand-dipped ice cream…and popcorn.

“The popcorn was the product that even in the off-season people would call to order because the ice cream truck only ran from May through October,” said Barbee. “We were getting so many calls that we realized we had something special going with the popcorn and decided to start bagging it up and selling that for a dollar.”

In the next few years, Barbee experienced challenges in her journey but stayed determined to pursue her dream as an entrepreneur. From 2009 to 2012, her business was barely operating when she decided to head back to college and gained a master’s degree and later a teaching certification in 2015.

The ups and downs of being a business owner can often take a toll, especially when dealing with personal life situations while trying to grow the company. The responsibility of an entrepreneur is a constant juggle and balancing of life.