Taste Radio

Best known for its popular organic popcorn and admired for its commitment to premium ingredients and innovation, LesserEvil is beloved by its consumers and a highly respected snack brand within the food industry. That wasn’t always the case. Ten years ago, retail buyers regarded LesserEvil as “a dog with fleas,” according to Charles Coristine, who acquired the troubled company in November 2011. A former bonds trader with no experience in the food business, Coristine admits that, at the time, he wasn’t fully aware of the severity of the brand’s problems. Getting LesserEvil back on track required him to rethink nearly every aspect of the company, which was co-founded in 2005 by actor Gene Hackman and television personality Jim Cramer, from ingredients and manufacturing to retail strategy and product development. Rebuilt as a vertically integrated company that emphasizes gross margin and innovation, LesserEvil eventually found its footing and today sells millions of its eco-friendly bags of organic popcorn and p