Since I was a kid, I have loved popcorn. I’m crazy about the stuff. I remember making it with my family, enjoying it while watching movies or just the regular Sunday night “Wonderful World of Disney.” I remember what the popcorn used to be like at movie theatres, before it became more of a profit center and less of an art. I have spent years perfecting my technique, and I can say without the least bit of modesty that my popcorn is the very best you’ll ever eat. If you don’t believe me, ask and I’ll make you some. Or if you’d like to know how to do it yourself, read my instructional post from a few years ago:
A Guide to Making Perfect Popcorn
In the past few years, though, I’ve suffered a real loss. You see, the Ellis family of Murray, Kentucky used to produce the world’s best popcorn. It was called Ellis Blue Ribbon Popcorn, and it was, in a word, perfect. It had a great butterfly/mushroom ratio, it had massive kernels that popped out big and fluffy, it had the perfect color and texture, and it had very, very few “old maids” (kernels that don’t pop). For a while, living in Atlanta, I had talked a concession supply company into selling me one 12.5 pound bag at a time. Then they folded, and Ellis was nice enough to ship me the same amount at an even lower cost. Then tragedy struck.
October 5, 2011. A fire broke out in the warehouse and processing facility of Ellis Popcorn. The fire devastated the 60-year-old company. Rebuilding the destroyed facility was infeasible. In December, needing to get back to selling popcorn quickly, the family purchased an existing popcorn processing facility in Ridgway, Illinois and immediately began packaging and shipping product. But being 120 miles from their previous growers took its toll. The popcorn wasn’t the same, and every customer knew it. The move was a fatal mistake, and as of today, Ellis Popcorn Company no longer exists.
The growers, of course, are still there, but they’re no longer being held to the same standards, and no one knows exactly where to buy the popcorn that was once at the zenith of the industry. So as of January, 2012, I had no source for known good popcorn. Nobody can make perfect popcorn from mediocre kernels. This was bad.
Oh, I tried. For a while I popped Orville Redenbacher’s stuff using my methods, and despite being far from perfect, it wasn’t bad. Popcorn is one of those odd commodities where there’s no quick, easy way to judge quality. You can smell coffee beans, you can squeeze cantaloupes, and you can taste some things, but a good popcorn kernel and a crappy popcorn kernel look, feel, and smell exactly the same until you pop them. There are only two ways to find the really high quality stuff: trial and error, and reputation.
Fast forward to 2014 and the trip home from Chelsea’s wedding. Allison, Raymond, and I stopped as we usually do at Panorama Orchard and Farm Market, near Ellijay, Georgia. We usually shop for apples, but they carry a lot of different farm products. On this occasion, I noticed that they had some popcorn in two-pound bags, labeled “Amish Country Popcorn.” There were a couple of varieties, but a bag marked “Extra Large Caramel Type” caught my eye. Impulsively, we decided to give it a try.
I held little hope. In fact, the sealed bag sat there in the cabinet for several months. Finally, I decided to pop some up and try it. WOW!!! This stuff blew the lid open on my popper! It popped vigorously, and as advertised it puffed up into very large, well-formed kernels. It took butter well, tasted great, and had perfect texture. I had stumbled onto some truly excellent popcorn!
Now you can stumble too. I tracked down the source Panorama gets the stuff from, and you can order it directly from their site. (No, I don’t work for them, nor do I get paid for inviting you to buy from them. I’m sharing a secret with you.)
Amish Country Popcorn: Extra Large Caramel Type
So popcorn is a treat again at our house. Maybe it will be at yours, too. Enjoy.
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I totally agree with you. We were devastated when Blue Ribbon went out of business. After reviewing many popcorn web pages we stumbled upon Amish Country Pop Corn. Popcorn was equally as good plus they have a huge selection of varieties. These are all available in two or five pound packages. This is perfect for a family. Additionally they will utilize the post office flat rate boxes, reducing shipping cost. We get coupons emailed every couple months too. I highly recommend this place.
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Wow! I was doing research to find Blue Ribbon popcorn and found your blog post. When I was a kid, we lived in Murray. My dad was actually one of the foremen at Parker Popcorn. They eventually sold to Ellis because the originals owners passed away. Dad worked for Ellis for a while, but then we moved. I was living in Shelbyville KY a few years ago and couldn’t believe it… the SavALot there had Blue Ribbon popcorn! And I never have seen it again since that day. I was so sad. I too, have found that the Amish popcorn grown in Northern Indiana has been the best. Thanks so much for sharing your story! I thought I was the only pickiest popcorn eater left. We cook our’s on the stove too!
Happy popcorn making in 2016!
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The link didn’t work 🙁
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I agree, Blue Ribbon Popcorn was the best! My uncle, Groover Parker was one of the owners of Parker Popcorn and we always loved going to Kentucky and loading up on popcorn to bring home. They sold the company in 1986 and he passed away unexpectedly that same year. He was a terrific man that was proud of the Blue Ribbon label.
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Response to Karen Parker. I grew up in Murray and graduated from what was then called Murray Training School in 1957 and from Murray State College in 1962. I also attended the same church that Groover and Orlean Parker attended, Goshen United Methodist Church. My parents were very good friends with them. That summer I worked in North Carolina with a group of college friends selling bibles. After returning to Murray, I worked for Parker Popcorn through the popcorn harvesting season to get me a little money before entering the Army in November 1962.
It was a very sad time when Parker Popcorn burned and could no longer get it. I bought some every time I was in Murray visiting my folks
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Correction on Ellis Popcorn. I served as plant manager for the last fifteen years the company was open, and was with the company when it closed its doors on May 23rd, 2015. Yes, the fire in 2011 did destroy the production portion of the facility. Production was relocted to a plant in Ridgeway, Illinois, while the office remained in Murray, KY for a while. The offices were later relieved to Western Tennessee, where the president of the company resided. Contracting continued with local groceries through 2014. The company closed its doors on May 23rd, 2015, because it was purchased by Gilster-Mary Lee, of Southern Illinois/Missouri. It had nothing to do with poor quality of the popcorn being sourced in Murray, KY. As plant manager, I oversaw contracting, Quality Control, and harvest operations, among other things. The growers near Murray, KY have always provided quality grain, and that is something Ellis Popcorn prided itself on. Another great source of quality popcorn is Preferred Popcorn, of Chapman, NE. They were a large customer of EP, and they utilize the same popcorn strains as EP. Google the company for more information and to place and order.
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We just bought an old movie theater and I found an old Blue Ribbon can in the crawl space. Found this blog while trying to research the can. Cool info!