De J. Lozada is the founder of Soul Popped Gourmet Popcorn, the world’s first and only Soul Food-inspired popcorn company.

A single mother of two, De J. started Soul Popped in 2016 with just $53 in her bank account after suffering with a painful illness that would take close to a decade to diagnose and treat that left her unable to remain in the traditional workforce.

In the beginning, she sold Soul Popped from her car but was soon able to land a coveted spot in Central Texas’ largest weekend farmer’s markets where she remained for the next 3 years. She used this time to learn about her customers and to create meaningful interactions with them. This built brand loyalty, which led to a steady increase in sales. In late 2019, De J. was able to grow into her first retail location in Austin’s premier indoor mall, Barton Creek Square, making her the first African American business owner to have a storefront in this location.

Today, both De J. and Soul Popped continue to receive recognitions and awards for outstanding leadership and/or product to include the Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship for 2020; Les Dames d’Escoffier membership and recognition for 2020; Austin A-List Awards for 2019; Country Music Television Awards Featured Snack for 2019 and MSNBC Your Business with J.J. Ramberg’s Pitch Slam Finalist for 2017.

Due to Covid-19, De J. is now transitioning her company to an all-digital fundraising model with expanded flavor options that will allow current and future Soul Poppers to continue to enjoy the product while supporting their respective causes nationwide.