Preferred Popcorn
In the Platte River Valley of Nebraska, Norm Krug, a young farmer with a love for popcorn and a whole lot of grit, learned how to navigate the challenging ups and downs of farming. Popcorn, an all-American snack was in high demand. But raising high-quality popcorn required skill and experience, so Norm poured much of his time and energy into perfecting soil nutrition and fine-tuning farming practices to grow this higher-value crop. With time he mastered the art of popcorn agronomy. In the 1990s, his passion for popcorn grew into the dream of supplying movie theaters and home consumers with premium popping corn. In the first year, the fledgling company garnered only about a dozen customers, but word quickly spread and people both near and far were drawn to the quality and service Preferred Popcorn provided. When customers came to visit, they spent time in cornfields, rode in tractors and combines, toured the manufacturing center, and even climbed a grain bin. They ate dinners with Preferred Popcorn's farmers and learned as much as they could about the science of popcorn production. Norm loved every minute. The joy of sharing his passion – his popcorn – with people around the world was a dream come true. There were challenges, too many to recount, to be sure, but through those challenges, the company grew. They expanded to two locations, learning the ropes and leading the way in organic popcorn farming, and, most recently, launched a new packaging line designed just for home consumers. Based in Chapman, Nebraska.