Since 1854, the ancestors of Richard Kelty (1936-2015)[1] had been growing an heirloom popcorn variety out of small kernels, whose hulls would disintegrate after being popped,[2][3][4] resulting in a richer taste.

[7] After Richard Kelty retired from the military in the mid-1970s, he obtained a handful of the corn from a relative and planted it on his farm in Urbana, Iowa.

[9] By 1995, the popcorn operation had grown to include the entire Kelty farm, consisting of 125 acres (51 ha).

At that time, the popcorn was available in nearly every U.S. state through mail order, and was also sold in local stores, including Hy-Vee.

[2] The Mealhows began growing the popcorn through an organic method that included farming the biology of the soil.

[12] By October 2014, Tiny but Mighty Popcorn had eight full-time employees and more than 200 acres (81 ha) in Iowa and Illinois.

[11][3] By 2000, the company's popcorn was advertised as being the world's smallest;[13] Gene Mealhow stated, "The smaller the kernel, the better the flavor.

Gene Mealhow stated that the popcorn's "disappearing hull" was appealing to people with digestive problems such as diverticulitis; one of the company's top-selling locations was Florida, which had a high population of older residents.

Stores also continued to sell K&K's un-popped popcorn, which at that time was made without preservatives, as well as artificial colors and flavors.

A ready-to-eat version of the company's popcorn had also been launched by that time, and a deal had been signed with national distributor KeHE, allowing for access to 30,000 U.S. grocery stores.

[11] A microwavable version of the company's popcorn was introduced in October 2014, at which point pre-popped flavored corn was also available,[3] including white cheddar.

[15] Kaitlyn Goalen of Tasting Table wrote that the company's "petite kernels are reinventing our favorite silver-screen snack.