Nash Produce displaying sweet potatoes at NY Produce Show

Nash Produce will be showcasing its locally grown North Carolina sweet potatoes at this year’s New York Produce Show, exhibiting at booth No. 435.

“We will be displaying varieties such as the purple Murasaki, the white Bonita, along with the orange Covington,” said Robin Narron, sales support and marketing director for the Nashville, NC-based company. “We will also be displaying our value-added packaging options that we have available.”

The company knows the show is an important opportunity since it will be able to interact with current customers and also potential new customers.  

“Relationship building is an important part of the business and it is something we take pride in here at Nash Produce,” Narron said. “Being an exhibitor will not only allow us to maintain current relationships but also cultivate new ones.”

Thomas Joyner, Nash Produce’s president, will be taking advantage of every opportunity that the show has to offer. 

“This is a big show and retailers will be here from all over the country,” Narron said. “With a wide range of value-added products ranging from steamers and micros to tray pack options and private label capabilities, we want customers to know that we can adapt to their needs. Not only do we consider this a competitive advantage, but also, we consider the amount of volume we are able to pack year-round another benefit in doing business with us.”

Weeks before the show, Nash Produce’s sales and marketing team start developing a strategy to set up face to face meetings with current customers and potentially new ones.  

“We want to be able to put a name with a face and get to know retailers on a personal level,” Narron said.  

Those at the company are excited about the new temperature-controlled storage facility it completed back in June, and the benefit that this will provide.  

“This new facility will allow us to store more potatoes and increase our volume,” Narron said. “With industry leading storage facilities, it allows us to provide high quality sweet potatoes year-round. Being able to control temperature and humidity in these facilities is a major reason we can provide such high-quality sweet potatoes year-round.”

That leads to another highlight of the booth at the show, as Nash Produce will be showing off the quality of the sweet potatoes.  

“With industry leading storage facilities, it allows us to provide high quality sweet potatoes year-round,” Narron said. “Being able to control temperature and humidity in these facilities is a major reason we can provide such high-quality sweet potatoes. Also, we have just finished our new controlled temperature facility back in June are excited about the benefit that this will provide.”

With the end of the year just about upon us, business can best be characterized as “steady” for 2022, especially when compared to 2021.  

“One difference however, is that our overseas business has dropped some,” Narron said. “Luckily, we have compensated the decrease in exports with more domestic business. As far as the remainder of the year, we are expecting to be busy with the holidays rolling around. We are in the midst of harvest season as well, so we are full throttle at the moment.”

As far as growth initiatives, Nash Produce wants to ensure customers that it is continuously innovating through marketing strategies and improving the customer experience.  

“We feel like there is always room for improvement,” Narron said. “Being able to take a step back and review how we can grow our customer experience is imperative. Examples of this include ensuring deliveries are on time and reviewing the quality of our own sweet potatoes to make sure they meet customer expectations.  Through continuous improvement we hope that this will further grow our retail business.”