Riggs Beer Company to distribute ACES-developed Illini SuperPop™ brand popcorn at games and local venues
The next time you grab a bag of popcorn at an Illini basketball game, you will be snacking on a local innovation years in the making. Thanks to a commercial partnership between Riggs Beer Company and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, fans will soon enjoy Illini SuperPop™ — a new popcorn variety developed and grown right here in Champaign County.
Bred by College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences crop scientist Anthony Studer, Illini SuperPop™ brand popcorn combines exceptional flavor, high popping volume, and strong agronomic performance. The variety was developed through years of plant breeding in the Department of Crop Sciences, which has a long tradition of creating crops that meet the needs of Illinois farmers and consumers alike.
Riggs Beer Company, an Urbana-based and family-owned brewery that grows much of the grain used in its brews, planted and harvested the crop this fall. Once cleaned, conditioned, and packaged, the popcorn will be distributed for sale at Illini athletic events and at the Riggs Beer Company taproom.
“As lifelong Illini fans and local farmers, we’re thrilled to help share this homegrown product with the community,” said Matt Riggs, an ACES alum and co-founder of Riggs Beer Company. “It’s a perfect example of how local research and local agriculture can work hand-in-hand to create something special.”
The popcorn’s local-to-local Illinois story — developed by Illinois researchers, grown by Illinois family farmers on Illinois soil, and now enjoyed by Illinois fans — exemplifies the land-grant mission of bringing university innovation to the public.
“This relationship is a delicious reminder that Illinois agriculture is about connection — between science and community, research and real-world impact,” said College of ACES Dean Germán Bollero. “It’s what being a land-grant institution is all about.”
The licensing of Illini SuperPop™ brand popcorn is managed through the Office of Technology Management. Proceeds from licensing help support ongoing research and innovation in the College of ACES.
For fans eager to taste the results of this uniquely Illinois partnership, Illini SuperPop™ brand popcorn will be popping up soon at concession stands across State Farm Center.