Hello, I'm Helen - Farmer's Daughter, Architectural Designer, Wife, Dog Mom, Vanilla Latte Lover, and...Popcorn Farmer?! I come from a long line of small business entrepreneurs and farmers so it's only fitting that a small idea would be made into reality. 

 

Pierce Popcorn Co. began in the spring of 2020 when I was finishing my architectural thesis project in my parent's basement (Ya know, when the world shut down). I never would’ve guessed that I would have the opportunity to live in Rugby again, so I wanted to take advantage of this strange time and thought that planting a small garden of popcorn at our farm would be a fun experiment. Now, if you ask a farmer to help you plant a garden, chances are they will want to plant it with a tractor...which is exactly what my Uncle Scott did! Throughout the summer, we watched the popcorn field grow. I needed a game plan on what we were going to do with all this popcorn. 

 

I was sitting at my grandma's kitchen island one day and glanced at a photo of my Papa Johnson. He owned "Pierce Implement Co." in the 70s where he sold International Harvester equipment in Downtown Rugby. It sparked -  "Pierce Popcorn" (I always love alliteration. Thanks, Mrs. Johnson). I didn't think twice about it. It was the perfect name for this small popcorn idea that needed to be a business operation! It combined family heritage, the love for my hometown in Pierce County, IH Red, and popcorn. 

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We (Mom, Dad, Anna, Anders, Josh, uncles, aunts, cousins, Steve, and duck hunters) harvested approximately 3,000 cobs by hand that fall. I created a Facebook account, posted one time and within 48 hours, all the jars were accounted for. At this time, Covid-19 was surging and the majority of Rugby was quarantined to their homes. Customers around town would leave cash in an envelope near their front door and my sister and I would exchange it with jars of popcorn (yes, we felt like Santa Clause). The popcorn brought smiles to families’ faces as we waved through the window. Making a batch of homemade popcorn gave them something new to try during this time of isolation. It seemed like it was meant to be. 

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Today, we celebrate our fourth popcorn harvest! We can't wait for our popcorn to make its way into your kitchen. I hope it can bring your family together for a snack that everyone enjoys.