A Jolly Time in Sioux City, Iowa

I love popcorn.  I always have.  I have fond memories of my parents making it and dividing it between each of us in these small black bowls, and trying to eat it carefully to make it last but usually ending up eating a fistful at a time.  I love popcorn so much that for our first Christmas after we were married, DH bought me a popcorn maker like this one:

My favorite brand of popcorn is Jolly Time.  And my favorite variety is the tender white kernels.

So why am I telling you all this?

Because Jolly Time popcorn is headquartered and processed in Sioux City, Iowa, which was the next stop on our Middle States itinerary!  

While the Jolly Time plant doesn't offer tours, there is a Jolly Time museum (of sorts) in the Koated Kernels shop adjacent to the factory.  The shop is owned by the great-great-granddaughter of Mr. Cloid Smith, the founder of Jolly Time popcorn, so they have curated their family and company history for display in the store.  It's self-guided in that you can walk around and read what's on the walls and on display, and there are some videos you can watch as well.

On the day we were there, a school group was there on a field trip, and a woman was giving a presentation to them about Jolly Time's history.  We were able to listen in while browsing, and it turned out that the woman was the great-granddaughter of Mr. Smith.  She helps her daughter out at the shop and loves doing the field trips for students.  We hung around after the students left so we could meet her.  It was so cool to hear stories about this family-owned business and how it has evolved over the years.  While she doesn't remember her great-grandfather, she knew her grandfather very well and grew up around the popcorn business. 

She graciously posed with me for a photo.

Here are some pictures from our visit.

This is Mr. Smith's desk.

A Timeline of the company

And here is a YouTube video about the Jolly Time history.  It's worth a watch.

And of course we bought some popcorn to bring home - both the kernels and some of the Koated Kernels (which aren't Jolly Time per se but are still good - sea salt and caramel - oh yes, please!)

Happy snacking!

~ Cindy D.

Our tour was on May 9th.