Why corn filling is better...

The Story

In 1992, Julie Campbell was living in a log cabin in Winthrop, WA with her three little girls. The three-year-old had an ear ache that was not relieved by applying hot towels or other remedies. Julie put some feed corn in a drawstring bag, heated it in the microwave and applied it to her daughter’s ear. Her pain relieved, the little girl went right to sleep. The next morning she asked her mother if she could have a teddy bear “like that”. The older girls wanted different shapes and sizes so Julie made several and took the extras to the Christmas Bazaar. They sold out and a business was born.

In 1995, Julie submitted her idea to Invention Submission Corporation in Pittsburgh, PA. Her ideas were accepted and she was invited to the 1996 INPEX Show. INPEX is the largest invention show in the world. The 1996 show was attended by 1500 inventors from 35 nations and 43 states in the US. Julie took ten boxes of her product to Pittsburgh. The products were judged by a panel of doctors, therapists and marketing experts. Julie was awarded “Woman Inventor of the Year” for her “warmers.” The award enabled Julie to get the products into drug stores and then into JC Penney’s.

Julie contacted Washington State University to test the product. An agronomy class tested several different grains for heat retention and smells. The result was that out of ten types of feed corn, a low fat corn would retain heat the longest and would not hatch any bugs when cleaned. A feed corn sold by an Eastern Washington feed mill was tested and had all the qualities needed. It was found that rice, when moist, develops a toxic mold that can be hazardous to the respiratory tract. It was also found that flax seeds are oily, smell bad and do not retain heat. Other grains were tested but did not retain heat as well as feed corn. Here is why corn filling is better.

In 2004, Julie was asked by another student in her graduate class at Eastern Washington University if she would like to have a business partner. She accepted and they formed a corporation. The corporation moved manufacturing and packaging to Western Washington where Julie coordinated manufacturing, packaging, hiring employees and managing a kiosk at a mall in the Seattle area. The holiday season was very successful but health issues affected both partners and by 2007, operations were reduced to Julie's work at home and selling to a few select retailers.

In 2009, the assets of Julie’s company were purchased by Kathy Bockman and the product was renamed . Because Julie's original product was conceived in a log cabin and the Bockmans live in a log house, the company was named Country Cabin Creations. As it happens, the Bockmans have a view from their home of the very corn fields that produce the seed corn that is used in the  products!

Testimonials

“The soothing warmth is irresistible. I love that it smells like popcorn!” Amy W., Seattle WA

“I can't get along without mine – I feel it’s attached to my hip!” E. Coffey

“This product brings my grandmother great relief. She loves it!!!” A. Martindale Seattle, WA