BRAZIL, Ind. — Back before being a pop star had anything to do with singing or performing, Orville Redenbacher was working on perfecting his favorite snack food — popcorn.
Redenbacher was raised on a farm in Center Point in Clay County. His love of popcorn struck at an early age.
Glen Brown, in charge of marketing and publicity for the annual popcorn festival of Clay County, said the little boy who became the popcorn king was involved in 4-H and exhibited popcorn as one of his projects.
“He began developing popcorn when he was really young,” Brown said. “He’s a farm boy from way back.”
Redenbacher graduated from Brazil High School in 1924 and was ranked in the top 5 percent of his class. Instead of going on to West Point to study agronomy, the young man went to Purdue University to pursue his passion of being a county extension agent for Clay County.
At Purdue, Redenbacher learned more about hybrid seeds and began working to find a popcorn hybrid that would pop up fluffier and lighter than the day’s traditional popcorn.
After graduating from Purdue in 1928, Redenbacher became a teacher in Fontanet and operated a farm owned by Tony Hulman, Jr. He also was a county agent in Terre Haute.
In 1952, he and a friend purchased a small seed corn company near Valparaiso, where they sold agricultural supplies. They both made a small fortune for the time, and Redenbacher continued to work on finding that perfect hybrid for popcorn.
Once he found it, he and his business partner at the time, Charlie Bowman, decided to market their popcorn under the name Red-Bow – a combination of their last names.
When the product wasn’t getting enough attention, Brown said the two men paid a marketing agency $6,000 to help them develop their image and their brand.
“He and Charlie were very adamant about finding that perfect hybrid, and when they found it, they wanted to get it out there,” Brown said.
After much debate over what kind of marketing could be done, the agency suggested Redenbacher be the spokesperson and they add the word “gourmet” to the label.
With his quirky looks, strange name, big glasses, bowtie and red kerchief, the farmer became the face of Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn.
The duo sold their product to Hunt-Wesson Foods, which eventually became a part of the ConAgra food family, where it remains today.
Redenbacher appeared in commercials and on television shows to promote the product and even got his grandson, Gary, into the commercials with him in the later years of his life.
Brown said one of the man’s credos, which can be seen at the end of a few commercials, was “do one thing and do it better than anyone.”
In 1995, Redenbacher passed away at his home in California.
Redenbacher’s family’s original farmstead still is in place in Clay County, and the owners of the farm recalled when the limo would pull into their driveway and Redenbacher would step out and get a drink from the still operational water pump before strolling around his parent’s former farm.
The original farmhouse burnt down, Brown said, but the outbuildings and the water pump remain.
“When he was alive, he would stop at the old farm and get a drink of water and say, ‘it’s still the best water around,’” he said.
Brown said the manufacturing of Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn was in Valparaiso, but his legacy is in Brazil, Ind.
The town of Brazil hosts an annual Popcorn Festival of Clay County each fall. This year, it is Oct. 2 through Oct. 4. Brown said Redenbacher’s daughters and grandchildren still attend the event.
“He loved popcorn, and that’s no joke,” Brown said. “His daughter told me he would fix a big bowl and have just popcorn for supper.”
Redenbacher’s daughter told Brown her father would put almost anything in popcorn to flavor it and entertain his creative side.
At the festival, Brown said, the focus is on affordable fun for the entire family. There is free, hot buttered popcorn, too, of course.
“As soon as you come in, there’s all you can eat popcorn. And it’s really good,” Brown said.
He added that, even thought Redenbacher has passed and he sold the company, ConAgra has always been very supportive of the festival.
More information about the festival can be found at www.popcornfest.net.