Chicago Man Credited With Creating the Midwest’s Favorite Popcorn Mix

You've probably seen it on store shelves and never even noticed.

I know I didn't, and I am a self-described popcorn freak!

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Seriously, I will inhale popcorn. I can't control myself! One of the countless reason I love Horrock's market stores is because they have every and any food combination you could ever dream of-- in bulk. And yes, that includes popcorn.

Dill popcorn, turtle popcorn, three cheese, and something called "Midwest Mix". I had never heard of this before but I can assume it's for those who love the combination of sweet and salty. I had no idea its history has ties to one of the most famous popcorn makers in America.

Garrett's Popcorn

If you've ever flown through the O'Hare International Airport or watched any Food That Built America-style TV show you'll know that Garrett's is synonymous with Chicago. Garrett's was even subtly featured in the most recent season of Netflix's Emily in Paris!

The story goes that back in the day, Garrett's popcorn fanatics would form long lines daily waiting to get their hands on fresh popcorn. Originally, Garrett's cheese popcorn and caramel popcorn were each bagged separately however, the family began to notice than many customers would combine the two on their own.

Garrett's decided to make things easier on their customers and blend the two mixes themselves thus "Chicago Mix" was born!

Midwest Mix

With the popcorn blend being so popular, naturally there were many knock-offs and wannabes. There was also a very litigious company called Candyland, a Minnesota-based brand who applied for and were granted a trademark for the name "Chicago Mix" back in the '90s.

Therefore, the Garrett family began phasing out the name "Chicago" and replaced it with "Garrett's Mix" saying,

This transition began prior to any lawsuit due to countless brands now using the Chicago Mix name on what Garrett Popcorn Shops feels is a product vastly inferior to ours.

Whatever you call it-- Chicago Mix or Midwest Mix-- this delicious combination is a fan favorite that has stood the test of time! Thanks, Garrett.