{"id":19930,"date":"2019-09-18T16:14:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/?p=19930"},"modified":"2026-09-17T16:15:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:15:42","slug":"how-orville-redenbacher-perfected-a-popcorn-hybrid-that-changed-gourmet-popcorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/news\/how-orville-redenbacher-perfected-a-popcorn-hybrid-that-changed-gourmet-popcorn\/19930\/","title":{"rendered":"How Orville Redenbacher Perfected A Popcorn Hybrid That Changed Gourmet Popcorn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Heather Taylor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orville Redenbacher was destined to lead an a-maize-ing life. Today, when we see his bespectacled, bowtie-clad, smiling face on packages of Orville Redenbacher<\/a> classic popcorn many of us may not know much about his story behind the snack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Redenbacher put decades of dedication into developing the perfect popcorn hybrid that changed the way we savor popcorn forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popping Corn At 12-Years-Old<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1907, Orville Redenbacher was born on a farm in Brazil, Indiana. The combination of living on a fertile farm and in the Midwest landscape allowed Redenbacher to begin growing his own popping corn<\/a>. He started when he was just 12-years-old. Redenbacher was able to quickly turn his budding hobby into a business. He saved enough money for college and attended Purdue University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in college, Redenbacher proved to be a Jack-of-all-trades. He ran track and cross-country, played the tuba in Purdue\u2019s All-American Marching Band, and was the yearbook editor. Redenbacher graduated in 1928 with a degree in agronomy, the science of soil management and crop production. He was back on his way to pursuing his passion for popcorn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding The Perfect Popcorn Hybrid<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a post-graduate, Redenbacher spent years working on Indiana farms and was hard at work finding the perfect popcorn hybrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ideal popcorn hybrid allows popcorn to pop to light and fluffy perfection. It leaves behind few, if any, unpopped kernels, with the ability to achieve a 44:1 ratio in volume of popped to unpopped corn. It also goes without saying that the dream popcorn hybrid must be delicious, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to discover that popcorn hybrid, Redenbacher focused on perfecting the art of cross pollenating. Redenbacher, according to the Orville Redenbacher company archives, spent nearly 40 years crossbreeding 30,000 popcorn hybrids to find what was known as \u201cthe perfect kernel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going Into Business With Charlie Bowman<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Before Orville\u2019s \u201cperfect kernel\u201d was fully perfected in 1965, he laid down an impressive entrepreneurial foundation. In 1944, Redenbacher raised popcorn for the supermarket trade. Redenbacher, alongside his business partner Charlie Bowman, purchased a hybrid seed corn business in 1952. The business was named The Chester Company, and Orville himself hand-selected family farmers to grow its kernels. Little did these business partners know The Chester Company would become the world\u2019s largest producer of popcorn seeds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Launch Of \u201cRed Bow\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1970, Redenbacher and Bowman had the \u201cperfect kernel\u201d at their side and officially launched their gourmet popcorn company. The original name of the business was actually \u201cRed Bow.\u201d Look closely at the surnames of the founders and you\u2019ll quickly figure out how the name came to be!<\/p>\n\n\n