Popcorn poppers are still made in the USA at every scale: a Kansas shop that has spun the Atom Pop stovetop popper since 1952, a Wisconsin stainless cookware maker, a Minnesota company's microwave poppers, and three commercial makers in Illinois, Ohio and Iowa that build kettle popcorn machines for theaters, stadiums and concession stands.
For a stovetop popper the metal is most of the value; for a popcorn machine, the motor, kettle and heating elements are. Each listing is rated for the company's most American-made poppers and names what is known to come from elsewhere.
Ranked by Made in USA level, highest first; ties are in alphabetical order. The level measures how much is made in the USA, not product quality. How the levels work
Nordic Ware makes bakeware, cookware and microwave cookware, including the Pro Pop, Movie Night and Quick Pop microwave popcorn poppers in BPA-free plastic, along with Bundt pans, sheet pans and waffle irons. The Dalquist family founded the company in 1946 and still runs its factory in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
All four of Nordic Ware's popper pages read "Made In: USA," and its Movie Night popper is described as "Made in the USA from BPA-free and Melamine-free plastic." Its metal bakeware, by contrast, now reads "Made in America of domestic & imported materials."
Its St. Louis Park factory makes both cast aluminum and injection-molded plastic products. Nordic Ware doesn't say where its plastic resin comes from. It imports some other products, such as Treat bakeware from China, which aren't part of this rating.
Production history: making kitchenware in Minnesota for nearly 80 years and still owned by the Dalquist family; the plant was expanded in 2021. A Made in USA class action over its aluminum products, filed in 2025, doesn't concern the poppers. In November 2026 the Pro Pop was in stock; its other poppers were out of stock.
Our rough estimate: plastic resin of unknown origin is about 25–40% of a popper's value; molding and tooling at its plant are the rest.
Level 4.5 for its microwave popcorn poppers: Nordic Ware labels its microwave poppers Made in USA without qualification and molds them at its Minnesota factory; it doesn't say where its resin comes from.
Atom Pop is a no-shake stovetop popcorn popper, a 2 1/2-quart cone of spun aluminum with a sycamore handle, first made in 1952. It is made by QuinCraft Products, a small shop owned by the Orth brothers in Bushton, Kansas.
Atom Pop's site describes a conical spun aluminum bowl with handles "crafted from American Sycamore" and offers it "direct from the manufacturer." Its history page says QuinCraft Products learned hand spinning from the earlier owners and that "Some of the equipment has been - and continues to be - in use by QuinCraft Products for more than 60 years."
Atom Pop doesn't say where its aluminum sheet is made. Lehman's describes the base as embossed with its Bushton, Kansas origin.
Production history: QuinCraft began in Quincy, Kansas in 1948 and started making the Atom Pop there in 1952; production moved to Fredonia in 1975 and to Bushton in 2005, when the Orth brothers bought the business. Hutch Post (October 2024) reports it "Manufactured in Bushton by QuinCraft Production"; it won Coolest Thing Made in Kansas in 2024. It was in stock at Lehman's in November 2026.
Our rough estimate: the aluminum sheet, whose origin isn't stated, is about 20–35% of the popper's value; the spinning and finishing in Bushton are most of the rest.
Level 4 for its Original Atom Pop stovetop popper: Atom Pop spins its poppers from aluminum sheet in Bushton, Kansas and fits them with American sycamore handles; where the aluminum comes from isn't stated.
Cretors makes commercial popcorn machines for movie theaters, stadiums, concession stands and homes, including the Mach 5, Diamond, Goldrush and Giant pedestal poppers, popcorn wagons and carts, plus cotton candy and kettle corn equipment. Charles Cretors invented the steam-powered popcorn machine in Chicago in 1885, and his family has run the company for five generations.
Every page of Cretors' site reads "Proudly Manufactured in the U.S.A.," and its commercial page says "Commercial equipment built and assembled in the USA." Its About page says it is a "fifth generation family business" still working from the Chicago area.
Its 2025–2026 job postings in Wood Dale describe punch press, deburring and spot welding work in its tin shop and assembly operators wiring and testing machines. Cretors doesn't say where its motors, heating elements, glass and controls are made.
Production history: in Chicago from 1885 until 2013, when it moved to its Wood Dale plant; CinemaCon (June 2026) called it a "fifth-generation family-owned USA manufacturer." No sale or move found.
Our rough estimate: motors, elements, controls and glass from outside suppliers are about 25–40% of a machine's value.
Level 4 for its commercial popcorn machines: Cretors says it manufactures in the U.S.A. and builds its popcorn machines at its Wood Dale, Illinois plant; it doesn't say where their motors and heating elements come from.
Gold Medal Products makes concession equipment and supplies, including countertop and floor-model kettle popcorn machines such as the Ultra 60 Special, Whiz Bang and Funpop, along with cotton candy machines, sno-cone machines and popcorn seasonings. The family-run company was founded in 1931 and has its manufacturing headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Gold Medal's An American Story page: "Gold Medal leadership continues our commitment to manufacture our products in the USA. Currently, 92% of our equipment products are American made," and "our Cincinnati, Ohio, headquarters houses our engineering, manufacturing, and food technology departments." Its popcorn machine pages carry no per-product origin.
Import records show regular 2026 shipments of popcorn popper machinery parts from a Chinese precision parts maker, most recently in October 2026, and finished cheese dispensers from another Chinese supplier. Gold Medal doesn't say which popper parts are imported or which of its machines make up the 8% not made in America.
Production history: founded in 1931 and family-run; its Medallion Drive plant in Cincinnati grew past 438,000 sq ft by 2011, and its February 2026 catalog release names Cincinnati as its manufacturing headquarters. It had about 600 US employees in 2026.
Our rough estimate: imported parts and purchased motors and elements are about 20–40% of a machine's value.
Level 4 for its popcorn machines built in Cincinnati: Gold Medal builds its popcorn machines in Cincinnati and says 92% of its equipment is American made, but it imports popper parts from China in quantity.
360 Cookware makes stainless steel waterless cookware, including the Apollo stovetop popcorn popper, a 3-quart tri-ply stainless popper with a vented lid, along with frying pans, stock pots, slow cookers and bakeware. Its family-owned parent, Americraft Cookware, built its West Bend, Wisconsin plant in 2004.
360 Cookware's Apollo page reads "Handcrafted in the U.S.A," under its site banner "MADE IN THE USA WITH GLOBAL MATERIALS | WEST BEND WISCONSIN." Its where-made page says its bonded clad metal comes from South Korea and its long handles from China, since its last US source for clad material closed in 2019.
The shells are formed from those blanks, polished and inspected in West Bend, where the lid handles are die cast and riveted.
Production history: the West Bend plant was built in 2004 to keep the old West Bend waterless cookware line from moving abroad; family-owned with no outside owner found through 2026. In November 2026 the Apollo was available on its site for $250.
Our rough estimate: the Korean clad blank and Chinese handle are about 40–55% of the popper's value.
Level 3.5 for its Apollo stovetop popcorn popper: 360 Cookware forms and finishes its Apollo popper in West Bend, Wisconsin, but from clad metal imported from South Korea.
Paragon makes popcorn machines and concession equipment, including Theater Pop, Classic Pop, 1911 Original and Professional Series kettle poppers for homes and concession stands, along with cotton candy machines, hot dog steamers and nacho cheese warmers. Founded in Iowa in 1979, it has worked in Nevada, Iowa since 2000.
Of the 38 popcorn machines on Paragon's site, only its Classic Pop 14 Ounce carries origin wording: "Assembled in USA with Global Materials." Its Cineplex page refers to "Paragon's made in America popcorn machines" as marketing, and its About page calls it "a leading U.S. manufacturer of concession and restaurant equipment."
Import records show 235 shipments to Paragon since 2007 from 48 mostly Chinese suppliers, including aluminum, electrical and glass items, most recently in October 2024. Paragon doesn't say which of its machines are assembled in Iowa.
Production history: started in Colfax, Iowa in 1979, moved to Union in 1992 and to a 25,000 sq ft building in Nevada, Iowa in 2000, enlarged in 2004; owned by the Swegle family. Its machines were selling through its site and Walmart in November 2026.
Our rough estimate: imported kettles, elements, motors and glass are about 40–60% of a machine's value.
Level 3 for its Classic Pop and other kettle popcorn machines: Paragon assembles its popcorn machines in Nevada, Iowa and labels them assembled in USA with global materials.
Watch for qualified labels. 360 Cookware's banner reads "Made in the USA with global materials," and Paragon labels one machine "Assembled in USA with Global Materials."
Percentages matter. Gold Medal says 92% of its equipment is American made, and import records show it brings in popper parts from China.
Plastic can be made here. Nordic Ware molds its microwave poppers at its Minnesota factory and labels them Made in USA without qualification.
Each listing's research notes show what was checked and when, including our rough estimate of how much of the value is imported. Ratings are rechecked as companies answer.
Popcorn popper makers by state
Illinois: Cretors (Wood Dale)
Iowa: Paragon (Nevada)
Kansas: Atom Pop (Bushton)
Minnesota: Nordic Ware (Minneapolis)
Ohio: Gold Medal Products (Cincinnati)
Wisconsin: 360 Cookware (West Bend)
Change log
What's changed since our last update on February 29, 2024?
2 listings were removed: Popzup's popper is a paperboard microwave popcorn box sold with kernels rather than an appliance, and we found no current maker behind Sergeant Poppers.
The Apollo Popcorn Popper is now listed under its maker,360 Cookware.
6 makers from the 2024 list were re-checked, including where each has made its poppers over the years, and still make popcorn poppers in the USA.
Every maker now has a Made in USA level from 0 to 5, with the sources and research notes behind it. See how the levels work.
Listings checked by Dave Hurley.
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A company may be based in the USA while making some products elsewhere. Check the manufacturer's own site for where a specific product is made.
