Tiny But Mighty Popcorn

Type: Producer

Produces: Popcorn

Location: Shellsburg, IA

Miles from Coop: 17

This is the most flavorful popcorn we’ve tasted – and its hulls explode so they don’t get stuck in your teeth.

As the story goes, the Kelty family either found their tiny popcorn: “growing wild, or traded Native Americans for it,” Gene Mealhow explains, and passed it down from generation to generation. During WWII, their yearly planting got forgotten, and a paltry handful of kernels found in a pantry jar rescued it from extinction.

Get the whole scoop about our visit to their farm here.

farmer-gene_tiny-but-mighty-popcorn_sm.jpg

Products available in store and online. Limited selection online.
 

Other Local Producers

Be sure to check out these others great local producers!

Marieke Gouda Cheese

Marieke Gouda Cheese

"By providing a loving and relaxing environment for our cows we are able to get remarkably consistent full-flavored raw milk."

Thorp, WI

Blues Best Mushrooms

Blues Best Mushrooms

Blues Best Mushrooms is a family-owned specialty mushroom company in Eastern Iowa that supplies fresh mushrooms to the Co-op including Shitake, Oyster, and Lion's Mane.

Vinton, IA

Eco Lips

Eco Lips

Eco Lips is deeply connected with nature, applying what we know about beneficial organic ingredients to better people’s lives.

Marion, IA

Seed Savers Exchange

Seed Savers Exchange

Seed Savers formed a network of gardeners interested in preserving heirloom varieties and sharing seeds.

Decorah, IA

Oasis Street Food

Oasis Street Food

When owners Naftaly and Ofer were unable to find the Mediterranean food they craved and grew up with, they decided to use their own family recipes to bring authentic falafel and hummus to Iowa City.

Iowa City, IA

Kerns Homegrown

Kerns Homegrown

Our local source for non-GMO sweet corn! In 1999, at the age of 15, Blake Kerns rented two acres of abandoned crop land, borrowed a planter, and seeded sweet corn. Twenty years later he's still planting, picking, and delivering fresh picked homegrown produce.

Oelwein, IA

Rare Bird Soap Shop

Rare Bird Soap Shop

Wende Fugate specializes in small-batch vegan soaps and skincare products free from sulfates, parabens, and preservatives.

Cedar Rapids, IA

Paha Cider

Paha Cider

After almost 20 years of homebrewing and 5 years making hard cider, Mark Westbrock decided to take his cidermaking to the next level by launching Paha Cider in Waverly, IA.

Waverly, IA