In both the Idaho and Washington growing areas, the 2017 crop was smaller than a year ago and “smaller than anticipated,” according to Ralph Schwartz, vice president of marketing, sales and innovation at Potandon Produce LLC in Idaho Falls, ID. In addition, the size profile was “larger than we are used to seeing,” leading to “somewhat of a shortage” in consumer bag sizes.

But when Potandon is short on russets, the company has more to offer, said Schwartz. “We can offer a variety of potatoes. We can offer reds. We can offer golds. We can offer different products from different growing areas.

“Fortunately, our variety crop was really good this year, especially our Klondike Rose crop,” Schwartz added. Because of that, “we are seeing a lot of retailers right now that are looking to the variety portion of our product lines to advertise.”

The proprietary Klondike Rose potatoes have a rose-colored skin, a deep yellow flesh and are noted for their exceptional flavor.  

This year, Potandon has “probably the best Klondike Rose crop we have had in about six or seven years,” Schwartz said. The potatoes are “super great quality and beautiful looking.”

Potandon has done a good job with Klondike Rose for many years, but when “all of a sudden you can say, ‘Wow! That is so much better than normal this year,’ that is something we want to get behind and are very proud of,” he said.

“Potandon is the largest potato supplier in America, based on our national network,” said Schwartz. “We have access to product in just about every major growing area and most of the seasonal growing areas around the United States. It gives a retailer the ability to have the freshest or the most current product available in their retail sets.”

As an example, he said, “We could be running storage North Dakota red potatoes but could also make new crop Florida potatoes available to a customer, or new crop Arizona potatoes available to a customer. Depending on whatever kind of retail strategy a customer wants to go out with at store level, our system allows for that kind of flexibility.”

The company can also offer those products “in a consistent label all year round,” he continued. “So you don’t have to be the customer who goes back and forth between different labels at your store. If you are carrying our Green Giant products on your shelf 52 weeks a year, it will greatly enhance the way your consumers look at your program. People enjoy consistency. We can put the same item specs from area to area, the same look and feel, so it is like a seamless transition as we move from area to area.”

Potandon also has “the broadest category offerings” of anyone in a national brand, he added. “You can do an entire category set” for potatoes and onions at store level all in the Green Giant Fresh brand.

The Green Giant brand has been in the fresh potato market for almost 25 years now, he noted. Customers see the brand “not only in the produce department, but they also see it in the frozen food department and in the grocery department.” Those multiple brand impressions give consumers a “very positive” impression.

Additionally, “there is a large national advertising presence on the brand that takes place every year through the parent company. It might not be specifically a Green Giant potatoes ad that you see out there, but it is a Green Giant ad nonetheless.”

For customers in the Pacific Northwest, Potandon can also provide product with a local appeal. “Idaho and Washington is where most of that product originates,” Schwartz said.

Potandon has a sales office in Pasco, WA, according to Steve Elfering, vice president of operations. “We are able to ship Washington russets year round from there, and seasonally, we do our reds and yellows and mini-potatoes out of the Columbia Basin as well. We ship a lot to Canada” from there, as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest. “Larry Sieg is our sales office manager up there.”

In Idaho Falls, Potandon has a warehouse that “allows us to cross-dock virtually all of the items that we carry,” loading onto a single truck to a single destination, Schwartz said. “We can do all of our products — minis, reds, yellows, russets,” as well as value-added products such as microwave-ready potatoes, “on one load and get all of our products to a customer” anywhere in the country. By transferring product from various producing areas to a single location for consolidation, Potandon is able to offer “in-market-type order fulfillment” from an f.o.b. location, he said.