Innovations drive fresh look at potatoes for Potandon
Innovations drive fresh look at potatoes for Potandon
Ralph Schwartz, vice president of marketing, sales and innovation for Potandon Produce LLC, said strong messaging is reversing the bad rap fresh potatoes have suffered. “Over the years, the potato industry has received negative press from outside groups on potato nutrition.
These reports almost always are subjective as they include other items added to potato meals or cooking techniques such as deep-frying,” he told The Produce News. “In order to truly bring the right information to the trade and consumer base, the industry has made it a point to call out the fantastic health benefits of fresh potatoes. The value-added potato products we are seeing grow in today’s markets are either unseasoned fresh potatoes or kits with healthy oils and spices added.”
These reversals, he said, will give the industry room to grow the potato category over the next decade.
Potandon is leading the industry in the area of innovation. “Behind the scenes, we have a vertically integrated seed development and production company that sources seed strains from around the globe as potential candidates for new varieties,” Schwartz commented. “We perform detailed growing trials in multiple environments to determine which of the hundreds of seed we test each year will have future marketability. Only a handful make the final cut, and we spend several more years growing and storing small plots of these up-and-comers before taking the final steps to create and introduce them to the market.”
Packaging is also continually analyzed to ensure that the company's high quality conventional and convenience products are available at retail in the best packaging options.
The company has garnered success with its value-added product line that includes Klondike Rose Express and Klondike Goldust Express. “We are launching a line extension to the highly successful Express line,” he went on to say. These include the launch of Klondike Smiley and Klondike Royale this past December. “We also launched a three-pound Green Giant Smiley,” he added.
Potandon plans to refresh its website and update across its social media platforms in 2015.