C. Cretors & Company is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
manufacturing company, specializing in
popcorn
Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion.
A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...
machines and other concessions equipment. It was established in 1885 with the invention of the first large-scale commercial
popcorn machine
A popcorn maker (also called a popcorn popper) is a machine used to pop popcorn. Since ancient times, popcorn has been a popular snack food, produced through the explosive expansion of kernels of heated corn (maize). Commercial large-scale pop ...
to pop corn in oil. C. Cretors & Co. is in
Wood Dale,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
and is still owned by the Cretors family.
History
1880s through 1890s
Charles Cretors was originally from
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, but eventually made his way to
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...
, where he opened a bakery and eventually a confectionery shop. He purchased a peanut roaster for his shop to broaden his product line to include freshly roasted peanuts. Not satisfied with the new machine, he redesigned it for better function. He moved to Chicago seeking success by selling his new machine. He purchased a vendors license to test his machine in front of his shop. The license, dated December 2, 1885, marks the inception of C. Cretors & Co.
[Popcorn Popper History](_blank)
at Pop Maize
The new roaster was driven by a small
steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
, which automated the roasting process. By 1893, Cretors had created a steam powered machine that could roast peanuts as well as popcorn in oil. Cretors' machine design offered several advantages over the hand-operated process. Cretors’ machine became the first automated machine that could pop popcorn uniformly in its own seasonings. As a result, the product was uniform every time. Cretors applied for a patent on his automated peanut roaster and popcorn maker, which was granted in 1893.
A chance meeting happened between Cretors and J. M. Savage, a traveling salesman who purchased a bag of roasted peanuts. Savage was intrigued with the new peanut roaster and offered to sell it in his territory. Cretors agreed to the proposal, and hired his first salesman.
Charles Cretors took his new popcorn wagon to the Midway of
Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893 and introduced the new corn product. After a trial period where Cretors gave away samples of his new popcorn product, people lined up to purchase bags of the hot, buttered popcorn. The smell of roasting peanuts and of hot buttered corn being popped in its seasoning before the buyers' attracted attention and sales.
[History of Popcorn - Popper History](_blank)
at popcorn.org
1900s through 1930s
By 1900, Cretors introduced the Special, the first large horse-drawn popcorn wagon. It was an immediate success. Three variations of this wagon were created. This was when electricity was becoming available. Cretors created the first popcorn machine with an electric motor. Thus, C. Cretors and Company holds one of the oldest active
Underwriters Laboratories
The UL enterprise is a global safety science company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, composed of three organizations, UL Research Institutes, UL Standards & Engagement and UL Solutions.
Established in 1894, the UL enterprise was founded a ...
numbers (EA175) for electrically operated machinery. The electric poppers soon took to market and electricity became the choice of power, as steam power had a reputation for being complicated and dangerous.
![Improved no2 Wagon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Improved_no2_Wagon.jpg)
As movie theater attendance grew through the 1920s, Cretors began designing machines that could pop and hold more of the product. Popcorn continued to grow in popularity through the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
due to its low cost.
During World War II
C. Cretors and Company adapted when faced with
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 opposin ...
. In 1941 the
War Production Board
The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Sup ...
issued L-65, stopping all non-war-related production. Cretors became a government supplier in the war effort. Cretors purchased new production equipment and produced aircraft oil line fittings and mechanical radio components, among other things. After the war, the company faced a shortage of materials. Cretors introduced the Super 60, a popcorn machine with an all walnut cabinet. Since then they have continued designing new poppers and features to meet the new needs of theaters,
concession stand
A concession stand (American English, Canadian English), snack kiosk or snack bar (British English, Irish English) is a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, amusement park, zoo, aquarium, circus, fair, stadium, b ...
s, and customers.
Further expansion
Cretors has continued to expand their product line to include other food service equipment including warming cabinets, expanded topping and dispensing systems, hot dog, nacho cheese, and caramelizing and nut roasting equipment.
Product lines
* Small concessions poppers
* Large concessions poppers
* Display and Cornditioner cabinets
*
Gourmet
Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by refined, even elaborate preparations and presentations of aesthetically balanced meals of several contrasting, of ...
retail equipment
* Topping and dispensers
*
Hot dog
A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced Hot dog bun, bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener (Vienna sausag ...
equipment
*
Cotton candy
Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring.
It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifu ...
*
Ice shavers
In popular culture and the media
On July 7, 1988, the
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
issued a 16.7 cent postage stamp that featured an illustration of the Cretors 1902 Model of the No. 1 Wagon. It was issued as part of the transportation series. It was done to pay tribute to America's first snack and the machine that made it all possible.
[History]
at Cretors.com
Cretors has been featured on the
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
's TV show ''
Made in America'', as well as ''Big'', in which they manufactured the
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
's largest popcorn machine.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
Manufacturing companies established in 1885
Cooking appliance brands
Popcorn brands
American companies established in 1885
American brands