VALPARAISO, Ind. -- The Orville Redenbacher factory in the city where Redenbacher invented his brand of popcorn will produce its last kernel next year.
ConAgra, the Nebraska company that owns the plant, said last month it will consolidate the Valparaiso popcorn bottling and microwave popcorn packaging operations with those at other plants.Valparaiso, about 40 miles southeast of Chicago, will lose 230 jobs and a part of its identity. An annual popcorn festival has been held in the city since 1979, attracting as many as 80,000 people each year.
"I think it's always a loss when you lose good paying jobs," Valparaiso city planner Nancy Pekarek said Monday.
"Beyond that, in this particular case, we have a whole festival that revolves around the fact that Orville Redenbacher created his popcorn here."