Did you know that the earliest popcorn popper in recorded history dated back to about 300 A.D.? Though it is very different from the commercial popcorn machines of today, it still did the job, providing residents of Peru with delicious popped corn. By the 17th century, colonists were popping corn by turning a handle to rotate a cylinder in front of a fire. Though it looked like a squirrel cage, no animals were harmed when using this device.
Charles Cretors, a resident of Chicago, created the first modern steam-powered popcorn machine in 1885. Mr. Cretors got a license to operate his machine on the street and the rest was history. Street vendors began hauling large gasoline-powered machines around parks and at fairs and expositions. The Cretors family must really love their popcorn because they are still making popcorn machines today.
By 1914, industrial size machines had been invented and were being marketed as a business concept. These were sold at prices ranging from $400 to $1,300, with the claim that up to 65 cents on the dollar was pure profit. Fred Hoke and James Holcomb reportedly sold millions of dollars' worth of industrial machines, eventually stopping due to a large number of delinquent payments following the Great Depression.
What started as a popcorn machine making partnership in 1922 led to decades of competition for JR Burch and Charles T. Manley. Ironically, it was Mr. Burch who left the Burch Manufacturing and Sales Company to start a new business, Star Manufacturing Company. Mr. Manley continued to run Burch, with the name unchanged until 1940. The Star machines featured low prices but were also low quality.
Eventually, the Star brand had such a bad association that the company name was changed to Advance Manufacturing Company. However, little else had changed, making this machine a far cry from the automated version created by Mr. Cretors in the late 1800s, which delivered consistent, tasty results. In this case, there was something to be said for the old way of doing things.
Modern commercial popcorn machines are high-quality, can do it all, and come in a variety of sizes and styles. Take the impressive but economical 20-ounce machine that can pop as many as 400 one-ounce servings in just one hour. Popcorn stays warm until it is ready to be loaded into a bag or tub and topped with warm, gooey butter and seasoning salt.
Now that you know how commercial popcorn machines came to be, are you ready to order some for your business? If you would pricing and information on the latest commercial popcorn machines, visit CandyConceptsInc.com today!
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