Orville Redenbacher's
Encyclopedia
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
made originally by Chester Inc. which was owned by Charles F. Bowman
Charles F. Bowman
Charles F. "Charlie" Bowman was an American businessman who partnered with Orville Redenbacher to create a gourmet popping corn which won a third of the US market for unpopped popcorn by the mid-1970s. The corn was marketed as Orville Redenbacher's.Charlie Bowman graduated from Purdue University...
and Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher
Orville Clarence Redenbacher was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.-Early life:...
(who starred in nearly all the commercials up to his death in 1995). The product was launched to the public in 1969 and was sold to Hunt-Wesson, a division of Norton Simon Inc. in 1976. In 1983, Esmark purchased Norton Simon, and the next year (1984), Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company. In 1987, its smaller international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of its domestic brands and assets were acquired by Kohlberg,...
acquired Esmark. In 1985, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Beatrice with the goal of selling off businesses. The popcorn business and other old Hunt-Wesson businesses were sold in 1990 to agribusiness
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
giant ConAgra.
To this day it is the #1 selling brand of gourmet popcorn.