The American Pop Corn Company is a family owned popcorn producer. Founded in 1914, it is the oldest popcorn company in the United States. Its only brand, Jolly Time, is sold globally and in every state in America. It employs 185 people, and its headquarters are in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

History

The American Pop Corn Company's founder, Cloid H. Smith, made many business ventures during his youth; unsatisfied with the

price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the ...

pop corn from his farm was being sold, he decided to sell his own. He first began his popcorn business in the basement of his home in Schaller, Iowa with the help of his son Howard. Business was so successful that he immediately built a crib in 1914 and a shelling and cleaning building in 1915. A major concern in the early history of the popcorn industry was packaging. Popcorn packaged in

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light ...

lost its popping quality, and glass was impractical. In 1924, Jolly Time transitioned metal cans which were ideal for sealing in moisture. This led to Jolly Time's "Guaranteed to Pop" slogan. Several factors led to the continued economic growth of the American Popcorn Company and the pop corn industry in general during the 1930s and 1940s. As more people gathered around

radios Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitt ...

movie theaters A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

sets, Jolly Time often met the demand for the perfect snack food. Also, popcorn was a cheap food for those living during the Great Depression, yet this did not damage pop corn's

imaging Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's form; especially a visual representation (i.e., the formation of an image). Imaging technology is the application of materials and methods to create, preserve, or duplicate images. ...

during the economic boom following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In 1953, the Floyd River flooded and much of

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

was under water. Cloid's grandson and future

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the company, Wrede Smith headed a project with the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce to rechannel the river. The project took three years and cost $19.6 million. Due to an increase in

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...

, The American Pop Corn Company tried to strengthen the Jolly Time Brand through new

marketing strategies Marketing strategy allows organizations to focus limited resources on best opportunities to increase sales and achieve a competitive advantage in the market. Strategic marketing emerged in the 1970s/80s as a distinct field of study, further buil ...

. They hired celebrity spokespeople such as Danny Kaye,

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

, and Ozzie and

Harriet Nelson Harriet Nelson (formerly Hilliard; born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) was an American actress and singer. Nelson is best known for her role on the Situation comedy, sitcom ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. Early ...

, and advertised on

game shows A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, s ...

such as "Let's Make a Deal." Following the industry trend, Jolly Time transitioned to the plastic bag for packaging. The introduction of the

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce ...

revolutionized the pop corn industry. This effect, along with a new strategy of selling Jolly Time in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

resulted in an increase in sales and the building of another plant. Today, The American Pop Corn Company is run by the fourth generation of the Smith family with the fifth generation also employed. They sold their one-billionth bag of

microwave popcorn Microwave popcorn is a convenience food consisting of unpopped popcorn in an enhanced, sealed paper bag intended to be heated in a microwave oven. In addition to the dried corn, the bags typically contain cooking oil with sufficient saturated fa ...

in 2003. Their address is a reflection on their product and their work culture... One Fun Place, Sioux City, Iowa 51108.

In the news

In responses to a complaint of a

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

man who developed a respiratory illness from inhaling microwave popcorn fumes on a twice-daily basis, Jolly Time no longer contains

diacetyl Diacetyl (IUPAC systematic name: butanedione or butane-2,3-dione) is an organic compound with the chemical formula (CH3CO)2. It is a yellow liquid with an intensely buttery flavor. It is a vicinal diketone (two C=O groups, side-by-side). Diacet ...

. This chemical occurs naturally in foods such as butter, cheese, and fruits and is safe for consumption.

References

Homepage

Jolly Time Official site
{{Popcorn brands Privately held companies based in Iowa Popcorn brands Companies based in Iowa American companies established in 1914 Food and drink companies established in 1914 Food and drink companies based in Iowa Family-owned companies of the United States

History

In the news

See also

References

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