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Midway Directory · Vendors and suppliers

What does Gold Medal Products Co. supply to fairs and concessions?

Gold Medal Products Co. is a family-owned maker of concession equipment and supplies based in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1931. It builds popcorn, cotton candy and Sno-Kone machines and sells supplies such as floss sugar, snow cone syrup and popcorn salt. It reports 19 branch locations in the United States and a worldwide distributor network.

Active Facts checked on against 9 sources.

Quick facts

Every line comes from a source listed at the bottom of the page. The small numbers point to it.

Official nameGold Medal Products Co.12
Also known as
  • Kings Ink Company, the small Cincinnati business bought in 1931 that was later renamed Gold Medal Products5
Listed asVendor or supplier
Based inCincinnati, Ohio, United States28
FoundedStarted in 1931 when the founder bought a small Cincinnati ink company14
Official websitegmpopcorn.com/

What they supply

Concession equipment
Its equipment catalogue covers machines for popcorn, cotton candy, frozen treats, hot dogs, nachos, funnel cakes, waffles and beverages.34
Concession supplies
It sells consumables for those machines, including cotton candy floss sugar under the Flossugar name, snow cone syrup and Flavacol popcorn salt.3
Concession supplies
A 2010 company article reprinted from a carousel trade paper said the carnival and amusement trade had long been central to its sales.5
Signs and lighting
Its home page lists signs and carts for concession stands among the accessories it offers.3

Product lines

Popcorn machines
The firm was selling popcorn poppers by the 1930s and brought out its first 6-ounce kettle model, the Pop-A-Lot, in 1949.1
Cotton candy machines
Its Whirlwind cotton candy machine first appeared in 1949, and the company sells cotton candy machines and related accessories today.16
Sno-Kone and shaved ice machines
Gold Medal built its first complete Sno-Kone machine in 1948 and still sells Sno-Kone and shaved ice units, including a battery-powered model.17
Ready Series popcorn dispensers
The company markets self-serve popcorn dispensers under the Ready Series label.49

History

  • The founder borrowed two thousand dollars against his home in 1931 to buy Kings Ink, the business that became Gold Medal.15
  • The Ohio River flood of January 1937 wrecked the company's Pearl Street building, and the owner restarted with a few hundred dollars.15
  • In 1951 the company patented the first paper cone for cotton candy made by machine.19

Where they operate

  • United States: The company lists 19 branch locations across the country.49
  • Worldwide: It sells abroad through a distributor network that spans the globe.49

Linked places have a page in the directory.

What we worked out

Not stated outright by any one source. This is our arithmetic or reading of the sources cited.

  • Founded in 1931, the company marks 95 years in 2026.14

What we couldn't confirm

  • Facility size conflicts on the company's own site: the history page describes a 326,000 square foot world headquarters built in Evendale, Ohio in 1997, while a 2010 company article gives 410,000 square feet for the 1997 building.
  • The headquarters mailing address (10700 Medallion Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45241) comes from the IAAPA listing; we did not find the street address on a fetched official page, and the history page places the 1997 building in Evendale.
  • Employee counts differ by date: more than 350 in a 2011 company release, more than 500 in the 2026 release and the IAAPA listing.
  • No official page we fetched names state fairs or specific carnival operators as customers; the carnival tie rests on the 2010 company article.
  • The year of the move to Third Street is given as 1942 in the 2010 article; the history page says only the 1940s.
  • No government business-register or historical-register page was fetched.

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Sources

Official sources first. We paraphrase; nothing is copied. We use no logos or photos, and nobody pays to be listed.

  1. Gold Medal Products Co.: Our History. Read on · official
  2. Gold Medal Products Co.: About Us. Read on · official
  3. Gold Medal Products Co.: Concession Supplies and Equipment. Read on · official
  4. Gold Medal Products Co.: Gold Medal Products Co. Celebrates 95 Years. Read on · official
  5. Gold Medal Products Co. (reprint from The Carousel News and Trader): Since the 1930s, Gold Medal Concessions = Profit. Read on · official
  6. Gold Medal Products Co.: Cotton Candy Machines. Read on · official
  7. Gold Medal Products Co.: Frozen Treat Machines. Read on · official
  8. IAAPA: Gold Medal Products Company (marketplace listing). Read on · reference
  9. Celluloid Junkie (wire): Gold Medal Products Co. Celebrates 95 Years of Innovation, Family, and Fun Food. Read on · news

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