KANSAS CITY, MO-FEBRUARY 21, 2005-- February is Black History Month and while we celebrate noted black pioneers of the past, there are many black pioneering businesses in our midst. One such company located in the Midwest is Jordon Foods Company, home of George Washington’s All-American Favorite Popcorn and other food products. Jordon Foods Company is one of the few, if not the only solely African-American-owned popcorn manufacturing plants in the nation. That fact alone speaks to the shortage of African-Americans interested in pursuing careers in agri-business.
The founder and chairman and CEO of Jordon Foods Company is Marion Jordon, who also publishes along with his wife, a 32-year-old African-American newspaper called, The Kansas City Globe. Having been reared in the South on a Mississippi farm in the early 40’s and 50’s, this Kansas City businessman never forgot his agricultural roots--the impetus that led him a couple of years ago to take his passion for farming to the next level of not only producing, but manufacturing and distributing his products as well.
“I learned early in life watching and working alongside my father and older brothers on our Mississippi farm that an investment in land and agriculture is one of the most rewarding careers one can pursue—not solely for the financial rewards a successful entrepreneur can achieve, but for the values farming instills. It is unfortunate that the percentage of blacks in agri-business today is dismal compared to say 40 or 50 years ago. Most of that is probably due to a lack of exposure to the business of agriculture. I hope what we have done will reverse that downward trend and help to encourage more youth of today to consider it as a career. Through offering tours of our plant, we hope to make a difference for future generations.”
Jordon practices what he preaches about being a producer and not just a consumer of products. The popcorn he distributes is grown and harvested on the farm he owns in Knob Noster, Mo., a small town, nearly 55 miles from Kansas City and home to Whiteman Air Force base where the popular B-2 bombers are located. So, besides the excitement of B-2’s flying overhead, the small town of Knob Noster, Mo., is also popping with this relatively new popcorn and food plant development along its major highway for all to see and visit.
Jordon Food Company’s products which besides popcorn, include barbecue and steak sauce, cooking oils, gourmet coffees, homemade apple butter, honey and pear preserves--are widely sold in major grocery stores in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Future plans include expanding product distribution throughout the United States and the world. Meanwhile, any of the products can be purchased on line. For more information and for links to other articles about the company or to purchase products from Jordon Foods Company, go to the website at: www.jordonfoods.com.
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