Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

Thu, 11/09/2023 - 12:30pm — Diane Dyer

Most everybody loves popcorn, right? It’s a great snack! Pop some corn or get a bag of Skinny Pop, grab some Coke Zero and you’re good. If I’m popping, I prefer Orville Redenbacher. This week, we’ll learn more about the man behind the brand.

Orville Clarence Redenbacher (July 16, 1907-September 19, 1995) was an American food scientist and businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name, which is now owned by Conagra Brands. The New York Times described him as “the agricultural visionary who all but single-handedly revolutionized the American popcorn industry”.

Orville Clarence Redenbacher was born in Brazil, Indiana on July 16, 1907. He grew up on his family’s farm, where he sometimes sold popcorn from the back of his car. He graduated from Brazil High School in 1924 in the top 5% of his class. He attended Purdue University, where he joined the agriculture-oriented Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, played tuba in the Purdue All-American Marching Band, joined the Purdue University track team, and worked at the Purdue Exponent, an independent student newspaper. He graduated in 1928 with a degree in agronomy. He spent most of his life in the agriculture industry, serving as Vigo County Farm Bureau extension agent in Terre Haute, Indiana and at Princeton Farms in Princeton, Indiana.

In 1951, Redenbacher and partner Charles F. Bowman bought the George F. Chester and Son seed corn plant in Boone Grove, Indiana. Naming the company “Chester Hybrids”, they tried tens of thousands of hybrid strains of popcorn before settling on a hybrid they named “RedBow”. An advertising agency advised them to use Orville Redenbacher’s own name as the brand name. They launched their popping corn in 1970.

In 1973, Redenbacher appeared on TV’s To Tell The Truth game show. By the mid-1970’s, Redenbacher and Bowman had captured a third of the un-popped-popcorn market. Redenbacher then moved to Coronado, California, where he lived for the remainder of his life. In 1976, Redenbacher sold his company to Hunt-Wesson Foods, a division of Norton Simon Inc. In 1983, Esmark purchased Norton Simon, which in turn was purchased by Beatrice Foods in 1984. In 1985, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Beatrice with the goal of selling off businesses. In 1990, they sold the popcorn business and other old Hunt-Wesson businesses to agribusiness giant ConAgra.

Before selling the company, he appeared as the company’s official spokesman, wearing his trademark outfit in public that included horn-rimmed glasses and a bowtie. Sometimes Redenbacher appeared in commercials with his grandson, Gary Redenbacher. Some customers wrote letters asking if Redenbacher was a real person and not an actor. He responded to this by appearing on various talk shows professing his identity.

On September 19, 1995, Redenbacher died in the jacuzzi of his condominium in Coronado, California. He suffered a heart attack and drowned. In 1988, Purdue awarded him an honorary doctorate. Aside from popcorn, he is noted for his television appearances. In January 2007, a television commercial featuring a digital recreation of Redenbacher appeared. When asked, his grandson said “grandpa would go for it. He was always a cutting-edge guy”. Redenbacher’s business partner, Charles F. Bowman, died in 2009. On September 4, 2012, Valparaiso unveiled a statue of Redenbacher at the city’s annual popcorn festival. In 2022, Redenbacher was mentioned by American musical comedian Bo Burnham in the song “Microwave Popcorn” from the deluxe edition of his soundtrack album Inside (The Songs)(www.wikipedia.com)