Mann Packing, Consolidated Farms team up on sweet potato products
Mann Packing, Consolidated Farms team up on sweet potato products
SALINAS, CA - Mann Packing Co., based here, and Livingston, CA-based Consolidated Farms are teaming up to form California Fresh Farms LLC, a joint venture that will take fresh-cut sweet potatoes to the nation's restaurants and supermarkets.
Mann - known for its fresh-cut vegetable products such as "Broccoli Wokly" and "Broccoli Cole Slaw, as well as innovative fresh vegetables like broccolini and stringless sugar snap peas - will handle the sales and marketing of the new items. Consolidated Farms will grow the sweet potatoes and California Fresh Farms will handle all the processing.
The joint venture represents Mann's first foray into the sweet potato business and marks the first time a "source processor has launched into a sweet potato program, said Joe Nucci, Mann's president and chief executive officer. Prior efforts have been at the regional level only, he said.
Mann's proven track record of bringing new, innovative products to the marketplace was attractive, said Steve Marquette, senior vice president of Consolidated Farms. "We saw what the company did for broccolini and sugar snap peas, and we thought they would be a good partner to handle the sales and marketing of these items, Mr. Marquette said.
There are two basic types of sweet potato: moist (orange-fleshed) and dry (yellow-fleshed). The sweeter orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties dominate the U.S. market and are what California Fresh will carry. California Fresh should be fully operational and its sweet potato products available to foodservice by June 1, said Gina Nucci, Mann's director of foodservice marketing. The foodservice line will start with three products: shredded and cubed sweet potatoes and sweet potato fries. Mr. Nucci said that a regional rollout of a line of sweet potato products for retail should happen this summer. California Fresh will cross-promote with other vegetable products, he said.
Lorri Koster, a spokesperson for Mann Packing, said that sweet potatoes are a "natural addition to Mann's line of healthy food items and give the company "a competitive advantage with transportation logistics. Ms. Nucci said that sweet potatoes have received attention as "good carbohydrates in both the South Beach and Atkins diets.
Mr. Marquette will be operations manager of newly created California Fresh Farms, and a board with representatives from both companies will manage California Fresh. Five-year-old Consolidated Farms - a grower-shipper-processor - works exclusively with sweet potatoes.
The late David Stidolph influenced this sweet potato venture for Mann. Mr. Stidolph, who years ago sang the praises of the market potential for sweet potatoes, had hired Mr. Marquette to consult on a fresh-cut melon deal. When Mr. Marquette landed at Consolidated, he remembered Mann.
The venture was introduced at a news conference held May 9 at Hullaballoo Restaurant, here. Hullaballoo chef and owner Todd Fisher served sweet potato dishes and said that the restaurant's menu will reference the Mann name with the dishes. He said that the same would be true at his new Salinas restaurant - Chicken Scratch Flats - slated to open this summer at the National Steinbeck Center.
Consolidated Farms initiated discussions with Mann in December 2003, according to Consolidated owner David Theodore, and Consolidated was impressed with Mann's success at partnering with growers, he said.
Industrywide, sweet potato sales grew by 3 percent in 2004 over 2003, he said. Sweet potatoes are not grown in the Salinas Valley, but California is the third-largest state in sweet potato production, with most production taking place in the Central Valley.
Consolidated Farms is one of the state's larger growers of organic sweet potatoes. "As Mann develops the market, we'll (California Fresh) go into organic, Mr. Theodore said. "The trend is for convenience - fresh vegetables made easy.
Mann - known for its fresh-cut vegetable products such as "Broccoli Wokly" and "Broccoli Cole Slaw, as well as innovative fresh vegetables like broccolini and stringless sugar snap peas - will handle the sales and marketing of the new items. Consolidated Farms will grow the sweet potatoes and California Fresh Farms will handle all the processing.
The joint venture represents Mann's first foray into the sweet potato business and marks the first time a "source processor has launched into a sweet potato program, said Joe Nucci, Mann's president and chief executive officer. Prior efforts have been at the regional level only, he said.
Mann's proven track record of bringing new, innovative products to the marketplace was attractive, said Steve Marquette, senior vice president of Consolidated Farms. "We saw what the company did for broccolini and sugar snap peas, and we thought they would be a good partner to handle the sales and marketing of these items, Mr. Marquette said.
There are two basic types of sweet potato: moist (orange-fleshed) and dry (yellow-fleshed). The sweeter orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties dominate the U.S. market and are what California Fresh will carry. California Fresh should be fully operational and its sweet potato products available to foodservice by June 1, said Gina Nucci, Mann's director of foodservice marketing. The foodservice line will start with three products: shredded and cubed sweet potatoes and sweet potato fries. Mr. Nucci said that a regional rollout of a line of sweet potato products for retail should happen this summer. California Fresh will cross-promote with other vegetable products, he said.
Lorri Koster, a spokesperson for Mann Packing, said that sweet potatoes are a "natural addition to Mann's line of healthy food items and give the company "a competitive advantage with transportation logistics. Ms. Nucci said that sweet potatoes have received attention as "good carbohydrates in both the South Beach and Atkins diets.
Mr. Marquette will be operations manager of newly created California Fresh Farms, and a board with representatives from both companies will manage California Fresh. Five-year-old Consolidated Farms - a grower-shipper-processor - works exclusively with sweet potatoes.
The late David Stidolph influenced this sweet potato venture for Mann. Mr. Stidolph, who years ago sang the praises of the market potential for sweet potatoes, had hired Mr. Marquette to consult on a fresh-cut melon deal. When Mr. Marquette landed at Consolidated, he remembered Mann.
The venture was introduced at a news conference held May 9 at Hullaballoo Restaurant, here. Hullaballoo chef and owner Todd Fisher served sweet potato dishes and said that the restaurant's menu will reference the Mann name with the dishes. He said that the same would be true at his new Salinas restaurant - Chicken Scratch Flats - slated to open this summer at the National Steinbeck Center.
Consolidated Farms initiated discussions with Mann in December 2003, according to Consolidated owner David Theodore, and Consolidated was impressed with Mann's success at partnering with growers, he said.
Industrywide, sweet potato sales grew by 3 percent in 2004 over 2003, he said. Sweet potatoes are not grown in the Salinas Valley, but California is the third-largest state in sweet potato production, with most production taking place in the Central Valley.
Consolidated Farms is one of the state's larger growers of organic sweet potatoes. "As Mann develops the market, we'll (California Fresh) go into organic, Mr. Theodore said. "The trend is for convenience - fresh vegetables made easy.
