Smude's

Smude's Brand was born from adversity. After two years of a devastating drought that threatened their family farm in Pierz, Minnesota, Tom and Jenni Smude knew they needed to diversify to survive. In 2009, they took a leap of faith and planted a drought-tolerant crop—sunflowers. Their plan was to press the seeds into sunflower oil while using the protein-rich sunflower meal as feed for their cattle.

When the market for bulk sunflower oil unexpectedly collapsed, the Smudes took another chance by bottling and selling their own cold-pressed sunflower oil. Filtered but unrefined, it retains its naturally occurring flavor and nutrients while delivering the rich, buttery taste that quickly won over customers. Their gamble paid off as word spread, and retailers soon began taking notice.

Customers soon discovered that Smude's Sunflower Oil made exceptional popcorn, inspiring Tom and Jenni to create an all natural microwave popcorn made with just three simple ingredients: popcorn, Smude's Sunflower Oil and salt. After extensive research and development, they introduced a first-of-its-kind popcorn bag that safely holds liquid sunflower oil without fluorochemicals, preservatives or artificial ingredients. Today, Smude's continues to produce wholesome, Minnesota-made products rooted in simple ingredients, innovation and family farming.

Find Smude's products in the Grocery Department at your nearest Kowalski's location. Selection and availability of products vary by market.