What makes our gourmet popcorn special? Isle of Man butter from grass-fed cows!
Our gourmet popcorn requires only the best ingredients in order to create a memorable delicious snack. While popping the kernels is one half of the job, the secret behind what makes our delicious flavours is another. But the secret is out! Pop Cornaa popcorn uses local butter from the Isle of Man Creameries, which is produced from only grass fed cows.
What are grass fed cows? Let us tell you! On the Isle of Man, grass fed cows are able to graze for an average of 214 days a year on the lush green fields of our biosphere nation. At least 70% of their diet comes from the fresh grass. How does grass feeding make any difference to the butter, you may ask? Well, grass fed farming produces much happier cows, and happy cows = healthier milk!
A cow’s stomach is pH neutral which is perfect for digesting all that yummy fibrous grass. With predominately grass fed protocols, the cows can thrive, as a result this produces much tastier milk. Grass fed cows also produce milk with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, thus making it very beneficial for your heart health, and we care a lot about healthy snacks – it’s why we love popcorn so much!
But how do you know if the cows are being grass fed? We know this thanks to the Isle of Man grass fed scheme standards which are heavily audited and enforced. All of the Isle of Man’s farms have to conform to the Red Tractor Dairy Farm Assurance Scheme to make sure that the highest standard of animal welfare is upheld. The scheme is managed by the Isle of Man Government, Department of Environment, and Food and Agriculture, which has the right to hold/approve the scheme logo based on conformance to the standards set. The farms are approached for data monthly as part of the scheme for audit, and each farmer’s participation in this scheme is also carried out annually by an independent auditor (SAI Global) at the same time as their Red Tractor scheme.
The prerequisite number of grazing days in the Isle of Man Grass Fed Scheme sits above the UK in comparable schemes, with an average of 200 days per year on the Isle of Man, compared to 180 days in the UK. Not only that, but this scheme helps so many local small farms that supply the Isle of Man Creamery, further helping the Isle of Man Biosphere status. All of these factors contribute towards creating better quality milk, which in turn is made into the butter that we use for our gourmet popcorn. That is why when you try our popcorn, it has a rich, unique taste! Some of you may not think that’s a big deal, but it makes up the foundation of our taste profiles when we add other ingredients like mango, chocolate, or caramel!
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