Welcome To Kernel’s Gourmet Popcorn & More – 630-232-7151

Gourmet Popcorn fans rejoice! We’re your source for the finest varieties of popcorn and assorted delicious candies – ready for fast delivery at your request.

Kernel’s Gourmet Popcorn has two locations: you can find us at 316 State Street in Geneva, and at 2555 West 75th Street, #109 in Naperville. At both stores, you’ll discover that all of our popcorn is made fresh every day. From our smooth and buttery caramel corn to our popular cheese flavors, all of our popcorn is sure to satisfy your cravings! We put a lot of attention to detail and always use the highest quality natural ingredients to make our popcorn truly tasty.

Gourmet Popcorn

At Kernel’s Gourmet Popcorn, our valued customers are sure to receive exceptional customer care, enjoy free samples and the finest quality Gourmet Popcorn and candies available anywhere. We offer individual or customized orders, corporate gifts, wedding favors, birthday gifts, gift baskets and bulk orders. Whatever the occasion may be, our Gourmet Popcorn and candies are certain to make it even more special!

Check out these fun facts about our favorite snack – popcorn! Did you know that:

*Americans consume approximately 17 billion quarts of standard and Gourmet Popcorn each year. This massive amount – which makes popcorn the nation’s most popular snack by far – is enough to fill the Empire State Building with popcorn about 18 times.
*The state of Nebraska is a leading supplier of popcorn, producing an estimated 250 million pounds of it every year. That’s about 25 percent of all the popcorn produced in the nation annually.
*According to illinois.gov, popcorn is the official snack for the state of Illinois. We’re doing our best to make Gourmet Popcorn the official snack of our valued customers!
*Unpopped Gourmet Popcorn shouldn’t be stored in a refrigerator because the kernels will dry out. Instead, Gourmet Popcorn should be stored in a dry, cool cabinet.
*Kernels of Gourmet Popcorn can pop as high as three feet in the air.
*Popcorn, which is a cereal grain, contains a lot of protein. It also has more iron than eggs or beef, and more fiber than pretzels.
*The world’s biggest ball of popcorn was an amazing 12 feet in diameter and weighed in at more than 5,000 pounds. It was made in 2016 and is on display at a museum in Iowa.
*There’s around 1,600 popcorn kernels in one cup.
*Popped popcorn generally comes in two different shapes: “snowflake” or “mushroom.” Since the “snowflake” variety is typically larger, movie theaters usually sell that shape.
*Historically, people would make their popcorn by stirring the kernels into heated sand to make it pop.
*Approximately 70 percent of the popcorn sold nationwide is consumed at the home. The other 30 percent is typically eaten in theaters, sports arenas and schools.
*The fall season tends to be a peak time of the year for popcorn consumption, followed by the winter months.
*There are six different types of corn: pod, sweet, flour, dent, flint and popcorn. Popcorn kernels generally come in three shapes: South American, rice and pearl. Most commercially available popcorn is of the pearl variety. The common trait among all kinds of popcorn kernels is their ability to burst when the kernel is exposed to heat.
*In contrast to what some popcorn enthusiasts may believe, popcorn isn’t the only kind of corn that is able to pop. Several flint and dent corns can pop, although their flakes tend to be smaller. There are also varieties of milo, rice, millet and sorghum that can pop too, as well as some varieties of quinoa.
*A kernel of Gourmet Popcorn has a small amount of water inside. When heated, the water converts to steam and forces the “pop.” Gourmet Popcorn is different from many other types of grain in that its shell does not permit water to pass through, which is what makes it possible for internal pressure to build until it causes the kernel to explode.
*Unpopped kernels are called “old maids.” Quality popcorn typically results in a pop rate of 98 percent.
*An American electronics specialist named Perry Spencer is credited with the invention of microwave popcorn in 1945.
*Businessman Charles Cretors implemented commercial popcorn machines in the 1890s. He introduced the first automated machines that popped popcorn in seasonings. Cretors was a forward-thinking candy shop owner who invested in a commercially manufactured peanut roaster because he wanted to sell freshly roast peanuts at his retail store. However, Cretors was not satisfied with the quality of his new machine so he started to modify it. Over the next few years, Cretors had made some totally new machines that were powered by steam. This made them ideal for roasting peanuts and popping popcorn. The steam assured that all the kernels would heat evenly to pop the maximum amount of kernels. It also allowed customers to pop the kernels in their preferred seasonings.
*Research from Peru finds that popcorn was in use as far back as 4700 B.C. This makes our beloved snack among the oldest forms of edible corn. The ancient Peruvians didn’t only pop their corn, but they also ground corn it into flour for use in other recipes.
*One of the oldest known poppers, a simple container equipped with a handle and an opening on top, is believed to have been created around 300 A.D. The first popcorn machine was unveiled about 1,500 years later at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.
*The ancient Aztecs used popcorn in their ceremonies. Young women would wear popcorn garlands on their heads and they used popcorn to decorate headdresses, jewelry and on statues.
*While many businesses struggled to stay afloat during the Great Depression in the 1930s, the popcorn business managed to thrive.
*Since sugar was rationed during the Second World War, candy and sweets were in low supply. As a direct result, many Americans ate a lot more popcorn during this era.
*As television gained in popularity in the early part of the 1950s, sales of popcorn declined when more people opted to stay at home instead of going to the movie theater. Although, when popcorn became conveniently available for home consumption, popcorn once again surged in popularity.
*One of the oldest ears of popcorn ever discovered was found in 1948 in a cave in Mexico. It is estimated to be more than 5,000 years old! Grains of popcorn about 1,000 years old have been discovered in tombs in South American.
*In North America, a 1,000-year-old popped kernel was unearthed in a cave in Utah.
*A 1,700-year-old urn was uncovered in Mexico that depicts a corn deity adorned with a popcorn headdress.
*Native Americans enjoyed popcorn and they also used it to make beer and soup too.
*Popcorn has health benefits! It has amounts of vitamins, proteins and minerals. This means that popcorn helps strengthen bones, muscle tissue and aids digestion. Popcorn also contains antioxidants Most of the nutritional elements of popcorn are within the shell instead of fluffy part. A cup of plain popcorn has only around 31 calories.
*The best temperature range for popping popcorn is between 400 and 460 degrees Fahrenheit. A kernel will usually pop when it gets to 347° degrees.
*Corn is the second biggest crop in the whole world and the biggest crop in the United States. Popcorn only comprises less than one percent of the total corn crop.