Terri Crowder has watched her business, Northern Neck Popcorn Bag, grow like … the volume of a kettle of corn starting to pop.

She established the company in Kilmarnock in 2016; opened a store on Main Street in Gloucester in June 2018; and expanded to Warsaw in 2019.

The company offers handcrafted gourmet popcorn in more than 50 flavors, as well as gifts and wedding favors and popcorn tins.

Crowder, who is from Colonial Beach, said growing the business and building reliable teams are everyday but tough challenges she has faced. Then came COVID-19. “COVID has been the biggest obstacle since we opened,” she said. Helping the company get through was being able to sell online through its website.

Before establishing Northern Neck Popcorn Bag, Crowder had direct marketing businesses, worked in auto repair firms, and spent “a lot of years in software sales.” She studied in high school and had some college years along with completing many training courses for the industries she h...