NEW RICHMOND, Ind. - A major Indiana popcorn seed maker is investing $15 million on a new production and storage facility to meet growing product demand.

Weaver Popcorn Hybrids will move from its existing production and storage facility in New Richmond to a new campus headquarters about 15 miles away in Crawfordsville once construction is completed.

Director of Sales Brad Thada said the roughly 25,000 square foot building on what’s now farmland should begin going up within the next two months and take about 12 months or less to complete.

Thada said the existing structure is at near capacity due to an increase in sales.

The new production and storage facility at the Crawfordsville Commerce Park will be larger and designed for future expansion, if necessary, and provide expanded research and production capabilities. 

There will also be new equipment going into the facility. 

“We’re just upgrading some of the things we have,” he said.

The farm ground at the current site where seeds are grown and new ones developed through crossing breeding will continue to be used for that purpose since both locations are just a short drive from each other, he said.

Thada said all of the more than one dozen employees will transfer to the new facility, which could have a few more workers added at some point in the future. 

Weaver Popcorn Hybrids along with Weaver Popcorn Bulk and Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing were once under the same umbrella.

Thada said the companies were split about five-years ago in a strategic decision to try and generate more sales.

The companies work together but as separate entities to develop and sell improved lines of seed in bulk for farmers to grow and sell for human consumption.

“Since we’ve been doing that we’ve had a lot of success and growth in sales and it’s looking like we’re going to have a continued growth in sales.  We definitely need to increase our capacity to keep up,” he said.

Thada said the idea behind cross breeding is developing seeds that can do many things like better resist drought and produce stalks not as likely to fall over in the fields during a storm to make harvesting easier.

Achieving a wider pop of the kernel is another of the many characteristics that cross breeders strive to achieve, said Thada, a former cross breeder at Weaver prior to heading up the sales department. 

“Quality is a major piece in the popcorn industry,” he said. 

Thada said the production and storage facility is where seeds after harvested are brought in to be cleaned and treated then placed into bags to store before delivery to farmers raising them under a contract.

Many of the bags of seed wind up in freight cars for shipment to farmers primarily in Indiana, Nebraska and surrounding states. Some of the seeds also go to other countries.

“We sell seed all over the world.  We’ve shipped seed to every continent except Antarctica, he said.

Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing pops the popcorn it purchases from Weaver Popcorn Bulk to place in ready to eat packages under the brand Pop Weaver for sale to retail customers.

The company also places kernels into microwavable packages and other containers for more traditional at home popping.

In 1928, Rev. Ira Weaver founded what was then known as Weaver Popcorn Company, shucking and bagging his own Indiana grown popcorn and personally delivering it to his customers with help from a horse drawn wagon.

Nowadays, Thada said the three companies, if combined again, would definitely rank among the world’s largest popcorn companies.

Separately, he said each one still has a large global footprint on the industry.

“We’re pretty competitive in the marketplace as far as that goes,” he said.