Farm Fresh Direct adds new line of bagged creamers
Farm Fresh Direct adds new line of bagged creamers
Farm Fresh Direct of America, a Monte Vista, CO-based company that markets potatoes and sweet potatoes for its grower-members, is launching a new 1.5-pound bag of creamer potatoes this fall.
Cindy Adkins, director of sales at FFDA, said the new bags will be available in both conventional and organic formats, and will include red, gold and medley options. The bags will be marketed under FFDA’s premium Growers Reserve label.
“This is the first year we’ve grown creamers and offered them as part of our program,” she said, adding that the decision was based on demand from its retail clients and the desire to add value to its lineup.
Adkins said the creamers will be offered on a year-round basis with seasonal sourcing from Colorado, Florida, California and Washington.
“This was a great move for Farm Fresh Direct,” said Adkins. “It helped us broaden our offerings to our retail partners and it was a fairly easy adaptation for our growers, who are eager to grow more product and were happy to jump on it.”
She said harvest of the creamers was expected to commence Aug. 20, with product hitting retail shelves by early to mid-October. The timing will allow FFDA to feature the new creamer bags at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim.
Adkins said this year’s overall Colorado potato deal is expected to be a good one, as “Mother Nature has been kind and growers have delivered with beautiful product, including yellows, reds and russets.”
She added that FFDA will have a broad range of sizes to accommodate both the retail and foodservice markets, and she points to the strong communication that takes place during all phases of the production cycle as a reason for the company’s success.
“We are a grower-owned company, and so we take pride in the outstanding communication that happens between our sales and production teams,” she said. “We are dialed in on what our customers want, and we can relay that to our growers so that they can provide the proper specs.”
As for the upcoming season, Adkins said she expects typical timing for harvest start and not much overlap between old and new crop.
“We don’t expect a prolonged overlap, maybe two or three days, if anything,” she said. “Our production team has done an excellent job managing the crop.”
FFDA offers both conventional and organic product, and Adkins said organic sales have “exploded” during the past couple of years and continue to perform at a high level. Part of the reason for growth in this category is its diversified customer base, which includes wholesalers and repackers. Quite simply, the additional avenues for distribution have led to increased sales.
Adkins credits Lonnie Gillespie, who recently retired from FFDA, for establishing the foundation for the organic program and building the relationships that help drive it.
“Our organic sales are up 15-20 percent this year, and in fact one of our retail customers is looking at more than 22 percent growth in organics, so it’s really a strong and growing segment of our business,” said Adkins.
Farm Fresh Direct of America celebrated its 25th year in business in 2024, and the company stands out from the competition in a number of ways, said Adkins.
“Having a grower-owned network is unique in this industry, and that allows us to be nimble when necessary and pivot to meet our customers’ needs,” she said. “We can tap into the many relationships we have established both within and outside of Colorado, and that better enables us to make decisions based on retailer and customer input. It’s a business model that works well for us and sets us up for success for years to come.”
