Minneapolis' Chicago Mix vs Garrett Mix
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Garrett Mix and Chicago Mix from Candyland in Minneapolis. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
During a recent Axios retreat in Minneapolis, our bosses put us up in a downtown hotel right next to a location of the Twin Cities' Candyland store.
Why it matters: The company is notorious (to me) for patenting the name "Chicago Mix" in 1992, thus forbidding any Windy City popcorn makers from using the term to describe a delicious blend of cheese and caramel corn.
- The nerve!
What happened: With resentment, I walked into the store and ordered a small bag of their so-called Chicago Mix to take home and compare it to our, no doubt, better Garrett Mix.
The comparison: A small bag of Chicago Mix costs $3.50, while a small bag of Garrett Mix costs $4.99.
- Chicago Mix blends cheese, caramel, and butter corn, while Garrett's features caramel and cheese.
- Chicago was fresh, crunchy, and delicious, with really big popped kernels, while my Garrett bag tasted a little less fresh, with slightly smaller puffs.
The verdict: These two mixes taste almost identical, but the freshly popped Chicago Mix pushed it just a hair over the packaged Garrett Mix.
The bottom line: If you're in the Twin Cities and no Chicagoans are looking, I recommend you pick up a warm bag of Chicago Mix from Candyland.
- Plus, if you visit the downtown Minneapolis store, you can take a cool picture next to the Mary Tyler Moore statue.
