North Loup, Nebraska. ‘Pop’ulation 281. Home of Popcorn County USA.

‘Popped’ In
I just happened to be travelling in that direction, so I decided to ‘pop’ in to see the home offices of Popcorn County USA. I needed to thank Bill and Mandy not only for being awesome clients, but also for the gift box they sent to us for the holidays. (Yes, I know that was a while ago.) To be honest, the popcorn they included has been gone for a long time – it was soooo good!  Not sure if my favorite is the yellow or white. They both pop up so light and fluffy. The giftbox even included oil and special popcorn salt – it was a great surprise.
Popcorn Queen
The name Popcorn County is truly appropriate. North Loup started celebrating Popcorn Days in 1901. Held in late August, it is one of the longest-running festivals west of the Mississippi. They even crown a ‘Popcorn Queen.’ But why popcorn? And why here in the Loup valley? Well, it was actually a series of drought years in the late 1800’s that caused local farmers to experiment with alternative crops – and popcorn was among them.
A Tradition
For more than 40 years, Popcorn County USA has been growing its special popcorn hybrids in fields all across this valley. And then processing and selling it to homes and businesses around the world. All from right here in North Loup. We helped them set up and tweak their online store – makes it so easy to get some great-tasting popcorn anytime of day or night. And its delivered right to your door!
Go Big Red
When I stopped in, they gave me a sample of their Red Popcorn. It’s dark red in its raw form, but when it pops up, it’s white and crunchy. A little smaller kernels than the yellow or white, but it is oh so good. And did I say crunchy? In case you’re wondering, that bag they gave me is also all gone. Gonna have to go online and order more!
Mushroom Popcorn
Now that my stock of popcorn is so low, I might try adding Mushroom Popcorn to my next order. Bill says the kernels pop into large spherical shapes – making it look as beautiful as it is tasty. And it sounds like it works great if I want to add cheese or caramel or other coatings. I’ll do a taste test and let you know the results!