Preferred Popcorn, LLC, of Chapman, NE in the 3rd Congressional District, has taken advantage of Food Export-Midwest’s Branded Program since the late 1990s. The program has helped them break into several markets including Trinidad and Tobago, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Trinidad, India and helped them increase their sales in Mexico. Currently they are exporting to over 40 countries around the world.

In December 2008, the company used Branded Program funds to break into another new market. According to Jayne Davis, Sales and Marketing Manager, “Attending the 2008 Cineasia tradeshow in Macau helped us to acquire a new customer in Korea who orders 2 containers of our popcorn per month. This was our first sale to this market. In addition, export funding has helped us begin advertising and marketing in new markets which has resulted in new sales,” To keep pace with their increasing domestic and international sales, Preferred Popcorn has tripled their workforce since 2004 and enlarged their warehouse by 24,000 square feet in December 2008 to accommodate the increase in orders over the past 3 years.

Preferred Popcorn, LLC is a producer-owned company that grows and processes popcorn for individual consumers, stores, and theaters around the world. Bulk varieties include yellow butterfly and mushroom popcorn. Microwave flavors include Natural, Butter, Extra Butter Jalapeño and Cheddar Cheese.

Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast are private, non-profit associations of Midwestern and Northeastern state agricultural promotion agencies that use federal, state, and industry resources to promote the export of Midwestern and Northeastern food and agricultural products. Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast administer many services through Market Access Program (MAP) funding from the USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service.