Black Jewell helps county pop off charts

ST. FRANCISVILLE, Ill.

— There’s nothing bite size about Black Jewell’s popcorn business.

This year, the specialty popcorn producer had a “very good”

harvest, said Cory Clevy from its Lawrence

County plant. In fact,

Black Jewell President and COO Barry Johnson said they hit their record year

last year.

“We, like many producers, actually planted fewer acres of

popcorn this year versus last to rebalance inventory levels. Our yields vary by

variety, but are typically in the 3,000- to 4,000-pound-per-acre range,” he

said.

The “Original Black Jewell” seed was first grown and sold in

1963 as a unique and proprietary heirloom strain of black kernel popcorn. While

its kernels pop white and virtually hull free, the company claims its flavor is

distinctive from yellow or white popcorn.

The company has changed hands twice, most recently in April

2013 when current owner, Johnson Ventures, a family-owned business, bought it.

Today, it employs 17 people, including three full time and seven part time in Illinois.

Rebranding and new marketing goals have refreshed the

business with new packaging and more varieties that include crimson popcorn,

microwave options and non-genetically modified organism verification.

Its wholesale target now is nationwide, and it can be found

in many large chains such as Publix, Ingles, Meijer, Schnuck’s, Wegman’s, The

Fresh Market, Albertson’s, Hy-Vee and Rural King, Johnson said.

So what are differences in processing popcorn?

While field planting and production methods are similar with

field corn, there’s extra care with the processing. Their seeds are smaller, so

Johnson said planting may require different plates, but generally the process

is the same. The differences come in what they do with the popcorn after

harvest and to prep for packaging.

First, there’s the pre-cleaning process to filter out debris.

Then the popcorn is further cleaned and moisture tested one batch at a time.

The moisture content ranges from 13 percent to 14.5 percent.

Another quality factor that’s measured for popcorn is the

minimum expansion ratio and is used to determine “popability” — 35 to 38 to

one.

Of course, marketing direct to consumers demands a need to

brag on the snack’s nutritional values. The company website is quick to mention

antioxidants not present in yellow and white popcorns.

Other health attributes are literally a mouth full: whole-grain,

gluten free, cholesterol-free and disease-fighting phytochemicals.

The new ownership also has meant a shift in business

operations. The plant remains in St. Francisville, but the corporate office is

in Columbus, Ind.

Consumer sales for home consumption rises in the fall and

remains fairly high throughout the winter months before tapering off during the

spring and summer, The Popcorn Institute noted.

It also states that 90 percent of popcorn sales are as

unpopped popcorn for home use as opposed for movie theaters, stadiums and

schools.

Other popcorn-producing states are in neighboring Indiana, as well as Iowa,

Kansas, Kentucky,

Michigan, Missouri,

Nebraska and Ohio, The Popcorn Board notes on its

website. The Popcorn Board is a non-profit organization funded by U.S. popcorn

processors and a popcorn check-off.

Americans consume 13 billion quarts of popcorn annually, the

board says.

Karen Binder can be reached at 618-534-0614 or

kbinder@agrinews-pubs.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Binder.