C. Cretors and Company

What C. Cretors and Company does

C. Cretors and Company is a privately held, family-owned American manufacturer of commercial concession equipment, founded by Charles Cretors in Chicago in 1885 and headquartered at 176 Mittel Drive in Wood Dale, Illinois. The company invented the first commercial popcorn machine in 1893 and remains a category originator, holding 17 unique patents on related technology. Today Cretors designs, manufactures, and distributes a full line of concession equipment — popcorn poppers (Goldrush 6/8 oz, T-3000, Trilogy, Mach 5, Electric Giant, President cabinet series, ranging 6–60 oz), hot dog grills and bun warmers, nacho warmers and dispensers, cotton candy machines, display and Cornditioner™ popcorn cabinets, oil pumps/heaters, topping systems, and CMD caramelizers — with proprietary features including ventless hood systems, ANSUL fire suppression integration, One-Pop auto shut-off, and the Cornditioner™ freshness cabinet.

The commercial proposition is built around durable, hardware-grade equipment serving venue-based concession operators across multiple verticals, with three primary segments being convenience stores, movie theaters, and stadiums/sports venues, alongside secondary verticals such as agritourism, family entertainment centers, gourmet popcorn retailers, amusement parks, military and government sites, hotels and resorts, party rental companies, and home users. The Flo-Thru division extends the company into industrial-scale capital equipment for popcorn, cereal, and nut processing lines.

Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time equipment sales (ASPs ranging from roughly $1,685 for entry countertop units to over $34,000 for industrial processing systems), consumable supplies including portion paks, oils, salts, cotton candy floss, and cleaning supplies offered via subscription with free shipping, and replacement parts including branded emergency repair kits for ongoing installed-base service. Go-to-market combines direct e-commerce through cretors.com with a global authorized distributor network serving 110+ countries, supplemented by trade show presence at industry events such as the NACS Show. Named enterprise customers include Cinemark, Marcus Theaters, Pacific Standard Service, and Lyric Theatre, with multiple testimonials citing 35+ years of customer loyalty and equipment durability.

Name

C. Cretors and Company

Legal name

C. Cretors and Company

Website

https://cretors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

C. Cretors and Company is a privately held, family-owned U.S. manufacturer founded in 1885 that designs and distributes commercial concession equipment — popcorn poppers, hot dog grills, nacho warmers, cotton candy machines, and display cabinets — to movie theaters, convenience stores, stadiums, and amusement venues across 110+ countries, with a Flo-Thru industrial processing division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wood Dale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of commercial concession equipment including popcorn machines, hot dog grills, nacho equipment, cotton candy machines, and display cabinets. Equipment ranges from small countertop models to large stadium-sized floor models.
2. Parts and Accessories: Replacement parts, repair kits, and accessories for all Cretors equipment. Includes emergency repair kits, filters, sneeze guards, and maintenance supplies.
3. Consumable Supplies: Popping supplies including corn, oil, salt, portion paks, cotton candy floss, caramel mixes, cheese pastes, and eco-friendly bags. Offered via subscription with free shipping and discounted rates.
4. Industrial Processing Systems: Large-scale industrial snack food production equipment through the Flo-Thru division for popcorn, cereal and nut processing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

C. Cretors and Company manufactures and sells commercial concession equipment for the snack food industry, including popcorn poppers, hot dog grills, nacho equipment, cotton candy machines, display cabinets, oil pumps, and topping/dispensing systems. The company also produces industrial-scale snack food processing lines through its Flo-Thru division and sells consumable supplies via subscription. Products range from compact countertop units for convenience stores to large stadium-sized configurations serving high-volume venues worldwide.

Product overview

C. Cretors and Company offers a comprehensive portfolio of concession equipment and supplies for the snack food industry. The product line centers on core equipment categories including Popcorn Equipment (featuring Goldrush, T-3000, Trilogy, Mach 5, Electric Giant, and President cabinet poppers), Hot Dog Equipment (grills and bun warmers), Nacho Equipment (Alto, Tray Cornditioner, dispensers), Cotton Candy Equipment (Ringmaster machines), Pizza and Humidified Warmers, Display & Popcorn Cabinets, Topping & Dispensing systems, and Oil Pumps & Warmers. The portfolio also includes the Flo-Thru Industrial Processing Systems division for high-volume popcorn, cereal, and nut production lines. Supporting the equipment are replacement parts and repair kits, consumable supplies (popping corn, oils, salts, cotton candy floss), branded merchandise, and digital gift cards. The company also provides service and training resources including Service School, Online Training, Video Library, and Popcorn Expansion Testing services. Products serve diverse industries including convenience stores, movie theaters, stadiums, amusement parks, family entertainment centers, agritourism operations, school and community concessions, party rentals, and gourmet popcorn shops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flo-Thru: Industrial snack food production lines for popcorn, cereal and nuts.
• Cretors Popped Popcorn
• PopScience
• Popcorn IQ

Products and services

• Popcorn Equipment Commercial popcorn poppers available in sizes from 6 oz to 60 oz, including the Goldrush, T-3000, Trilogy, Mach 5, Electric Giant, and President cabinet models, designed for venues ranging from convenience stores to stadiums and theaters.
• Hot Dog Equipment

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.5 tons of organic popcorn produced annually by single Lyric Theater customer
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Flo-ThrucoreOthersFlo-Thru is a division of Cretors that manufactures industrial snack food production lines for popcorn, cereal and nuts. This is an internal division rather than an external partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heat and Control: Manufacturer of industrial snack food processing equipment including popcorn, chips, and nut processing lines. Directly comparable to Cretors' Flo-Thru industrial processing systems division for high-volume commercial food production.
• Paragon International: Specialty concession equipment manufacturer offering popcorn poppers, cotton candy, and nacho equipment. Direct overlap with Cretors' core product portfolio for theaters, C-stores, and small venue concessions.
• Great Northern Popcorn: Manufacturer and distributor of commercial and consumer popcorn machines, concession supplies, and theater-style kettles. Comparable to Cretors in product category, target customer (venues and home), and pricing tiers.
• Gold Medal Products Company: Cincinnati-based manufacturer of commercial popcorn, concession, and snack equipment. Gold Medal is Cretors' most direct head-to-head competitor across theater, stadium, C-store, and amusement park concession equipment with overlapping product lines.

Broad incumbents

• Middleby Corporation: Large diversified commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer with a broad portfolio spanning cooking, refrigeration, and concession. Comparable to Cretors as a foodservice equipment peer but operates at much greater scale and across many more categories.
• Bühler Group: Swiss global industrial food processing equipment manufacturer serving grain, snack, and cereal processors. Comparable to Cretors' Flo-Thru industrial division as a much larger-scale industrial snack and cereal equipment supplier.
• Welbilt (Manitowoc Foodservice): Global commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer (brands including Cleveland, Convotherm, Merrychef, Frymaster). Comparable as a broad-line competitor in the same end-customer venues where Cretors sells concession equipment.
• Ali Group: Privately-held global foodservice equipment conglomerate with dozens of brand subsidiaries across cooking, holding, and concession equipment. Overlaps with Cretors in concession-adjacent product lines sold to the same venue customers.

Regional players

• Popcorn Indiana: Branded ready-to-eat popcorn and gourmet popcorn producer. Comparable to Cretors as a branded popcorn consumer product line, though competing primarily on the consumer packaged goods side rather than equipment.

Emerging players

• Nostalgia Products: Consumer-focused manufacturer of retro popcorn machines, cotton candy makers, and small concession appliances. Overlaps with Cretors' home-use equipment line and consumer popcorn product offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CretorsPop
• Facebookfacebook.com/c-cretors-co-90143449620
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1357978/admin
• Instagraminstagram.com/ccretorsandcompany
• Xx.com/cretors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C. Cretors and Company