Tiny but Mighty Popcorn facts for kids
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| Industry | Food |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | K&K Popcorn |
| Founded | 1981 in Urbana, Iowa, United States |
| Founder | Richard Kelty |
| Headquarters |
,
United States
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Area served
|
United States |
| Revenue | $3 million–$5 million (2015) |
| Owners | Gene Mealhow Lynn Mealhow |
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Number of employees
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18 (2015) |
Tiny but Mighty Popcorn is an American company that sells a special kind of old-fashioned popcorn. It started in 1981 when an Iowa farmer named Richard Kelty created a company called K&K Popcorn. Later, in 1999, another farming couple from Iowa, Gene and Lynn Mealhow, bought the company and changed its name to Tiny but Mighty Popcorn.
Contents
The Story of Tiny but Mighty Popcorn
How the Kelty Family Started
For many years, since 1854, the family of Richard Kelty grew a unique type of popcorn. This popcorn had small kernels, and when it popped, its outer shell (called a hull) would almost disappear. This made the popcorn taste richer and more delicious. Native Americans first shared this special corn with the Kelty family. For a long time, the Kelty family only grew this popcorn for themselves and never sold it.
After Richard Kelty finished his time in the military in the mid-1970s, he got some of this special corn from a relative. He planted it on his farm in Urbana, Iowa. Soon, Richard and his wife, Rita, were planting more and more rows of popcorn. Their friends and neighbors loved it so much that they asked for more. Because of this, Richard decided to start selling the popcorn. He officially started K&K Popcorn in 1981 and ran the business with his wife.
Growing the Popcorn Business
By 1995, the popcorn business had grown to use the entire Kelty farm, which was about 125 acres. People could buy the popcorn in almost every U.S. state through mail order. It was also sold in local stores like Hy-Vee. To help more people find out about the company, they even got a special toll-free phone number. Richard Kelty's main way of advertising was to pop his popcorn in grocery stores and give out free samples.
News channels like CBS, along with many magazines and newspapers, eventually shared stories about this unique popcorn. Richard Kelty once said that people would call him, saying they had been trying to find his popcorn for two years after seeing one of the news stories. The corn grown by the Kelty family was always natural. It was never mixed with other types of corn (hybridized) or changed using science (genetically modified). The popcorn plants were about four to five feet tall. Each kernel could grow into several stalks, and each stalk had a few small ears of corn, less than three inches long. The special qualities of Kelty's popcorn came from natural ways of growing and choosing the best seeds.
The Mealhow Family Takes Over
In the 1990s, Gene Mealhow, another farmer from eastern Iowa, worked as a soil expert. Gene and his wife, Lynn, had been growing organic crops on their farm since 1989. Gene Mealhow met Richard Kelty in the early 1990s. They worked together to make Kelty's popcorn crops even better. The Mealhows bought the company on July 1, 1999, which allowed Richard Kelty to retire. Richard Kelty felt good about the Mealhows taking over. He believed they would keep the important connection between the customer and the farmer. At that time, the company had about 130 acres of land for growing popcorn. After the Mealhows bought the company, they moved the popcorn processing machines from the Kelty farm to their own farm near Shellsburg, Iowa.
Expanding the Business
The Mealhows started growing the popcorn using organic methods. This meant they focused on the natural health of the soil and did not use pesticides. Soon after buying the company, the Mealhows received a special loan of $40,000 that they wouldn't have to pay back if they met certain goals. This loan helped them turn a building on their farm into a better place for processing popcorn. The Mealhows also planned to create a company website and do more advertising.
Sales of the popcorn grew every month after the Mealhows took over. This was thanks to more advertising, which was led by their son, Nate. Because of the higher demand, the company expanded its growing area to 320 acres. In September 2000, K&K Popcorn received a second $40,000 loan. This money was used to buy more processing machines and build more storage space. As part of these loans, the Mealhows had to make sure local farmers were hired to grow the popcorn. The company worked with 15 farmers, and later 18, to grow popcorn, and they also started selling organic popcorn.
By October 2014, Tiny but Mighty Popcorn had eight full-time employees and grew popcorn on over 200 acres in Iowa and Illinois. In May 2015, the company had 18 employees. They made between $3 million and $5 million each year and sold about 1.6 million pounds of popcorn annually. Gene Mealhow hoped to grow the company even more in the next few years, aiming to sell 15 million pounds of popcorn per year.
Popcorn Products and Where to Find Them
When the Mealhows first bought the company, K&K Popcorn was sold in Fareway stores. At first, the Mealhows had trouble convincing Whole Foods Market to sell their popcorn. However, a store manager in Chicago agreed to try it for one month. Just 10 days later, the manager called the Mealhows to ask for more popcorn because it had sold out! Eventually, the company's popcorn was sold in every Whole Foods store in Chicago. By 2000, the company advertised its popcorn as the world's smallest. Gene Mealhow explained that "The smaller the kernel, the better the flavor."
As of 2002, K&K offered un-popped popcorn in bags of different sizes, from one to five pounds, and even a 50-pound option. They also sold pre-popped popcorn in several flavors. At that time, K&K Popcorn was sold through mail order and was available in every U.S. state. It was also sold in Hy-Vee stores in seven states. Gene Mealhow mentioned that the popcorn's "disappearing hull" was good for people with stomach problems like diverticulitis. Florida, with many older residents, became one of their top-selling locations. Lynn Mealhow noted that unlike newer popcorn types, their old-fashioned popcorn didn't taste right if popped in a microwave.
In 2003, another company called Market Square Food Company Inc. started buying raw popcorn from K&K Popcorn. They would then pop it and package it under the name "The World's Tiniest Popcorn We Think." Market Square's popcorn began selling in Iowa in December 2003 and came in four flavors. Stores also continued to sell K&K's un-popped popcorn, which at that time had no preservatives, artificial colors, or flavors.
By 2013, the popcorn was available in most Fareway and Hy-Vee stores. It was also in about 40 Whole Foods stores in the Midwest and eastern United States. Around this time, a ready-to-eat version of the popcorn was also launched. The company also signed a deal with a big national distributor, KeHE, which helped their popcorn reach 30,000 grocery stores across the U.S. In October 2014, a microwavable version of the popcorn was introduced. Pre-popped flavored popcorn, including white cheddar, was also available.
Kaitlyn Goalen from Tasting Table magazine wrote that the company's "petite kernels are reinventing our favorite silver-screen snack." In 2014, Evan S. Benn from the Miami Herald said that Tiny but Mighty Popcorn was his favorite among new old-fashioned popcorns. He wrote, "The popcorn has a sweet, nutty flavor, and because the kernels are so small, their hulls disintegrate when popped, so no pesky bits will stick between your teeth."
