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Potandon Produce provides convenience for consumers

Potandon Produce LLC strives to implement a product line that will give consumers ultimate convenience in the kitchen. Ralph Schwartz, vice president of marketing, sales and innovation, said the company’s programs emphasize ease of preparation while maintaining an ultimate taste experience meal after meal.

The company grows and markets a vast array of colored potatoes as well as proprietary varieties and value-added products.

PotandonPotandon Produce’s Klondike line gives consumers ultimate convenience and flexibility, enabling them to incorporate single-meal portions of washed and ready-to-use potatoes in their meal planning. (Photo courtesy of Potandon Produce LLC)“Our microwaveable convenience products are all one-step preparation — no mixing, stirring, adding ingredients at a certain time,” he stated. “We have a seasoned line that has four flavor profiles — complementary to many different main dishes and also one step. The seasoning is made with real butter and herbs.”

Its Klondike line serves as an excellent example of this marriage of convenience. “The single-meal size packaging and washed, ready-to-use potatoes are key convenience factors,” he told The Produce News. “We also have microwaveable packaging for both our Klondike Express, which is a shelf stable line of potatoes with no seasoning, and our premium line of ‘Green Giant’ sauced steamers, which is a fresh potato combined with a butter-based seasoning puck that coats the potatoes while cooking — this is a refrigerated line. The smaller-sized potatoes in a multitude of colors allow for great plate presentations, easy stew and crock-pot additions, and faster cooking times.”

A few new potential lines targeting the convenience shopper are currently on the drawing board.

Extensive use of the Web has fueled experimentation in the kitchen. “The Web is the place people go for recipes now,” he said. “We see more traffic and feedback on the recipe section of our www.klondikebrands.com website. The trends are ‘anything new or different,’ which is great since potatoes are so versatile.”

The company’s website, www.potandon.com, has been updated with a friendly look and feel. “We’ve added a new recipe section that is focused on commodity potatoes to mirror the variety potato recipe bank we have on www.klondikebrands.com,” Schwartz said. “The primary message of the new recipe section is taste, and the recipes are branded with ‘Potatoes, just for the TASTE.’”

Strong support continues for Klondike Royale, building upon momentum generated last season. “Our crop will be sizable enough to have a bigger footprint, and we have high hopes,” Schwartz added.

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