As sweet potatoes continue to gain traction beyond the holiday season, Sand Candy Sweet Potatoes are helping retailers turn seasonal interest into year-round category growth.

For the upcoming IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is coordinating a pavilion at booths 1047 and 1055, consisting of several North Carolina growers representing the best produce the state has to offer.

The IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show is a launching pad for new products, and this year Fresh Innovations LLC will be featuring the newest additions to its popular ¡Yo Quiero! line.

Freshness is everything in the produce department. It’s the driver of consumer choice, the anchor of category loyalty and one of the biggest drivers of shrink on the income statement.

Sweet potato grower and shipper Vick Family Farms is a North Carolina-based company with most customers based on the East Coast or Midwest.

The company, however, will be on the West Coast for the International Fresh Produce Association Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, CA. Charlotte Vick, partner/sales and marketing manager for Wilson-based Vick Family Farms, said she doesn’t like to miss a show, which draws attendees from across the country and beyond.

Red Sun Farms is one of the largest vertically integrated, high-tech greenhouses in North America to own and operate farms in Canada, Mexico and the United States.