Foodservice is getting new emphasis at potato growers association
Foodservice is getting new emphasis at potato growers association
Perhaps for the first time ever, the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, based in E. Grand Forks, MN, will be exhibiting at the huge National Restaurant Association convention in Chicago.
Ted Kreis, marketing director of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, said that he has been on that staff for four years. He is unaware of any predecessors who have been involved in the NRA show. "I know we used to go to United [Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association show] in Chicago," he said. "But I think we have never exhibited in the foodservice show before. We are looking to expand the foodservice market."
The potato growers association is hiring a chef to make a presentation at the NRA show. The chef will bake red potatoes for foodservice use.
In the last five or 10 years, foodservice establishments have "much more widely used red potatoes because there is more color on the plate, and the red potato is very versatile," he said. "A lot are mashed with skins on in restaurants, and baby red potatoes are broiled or boiled. We are the largest red growing area in the country, and we want to grab more of that foodservice market."
He added, "The NRA show is a huge event. There are 75,000 people, and it is three times the size of PMA, so it should give us very good exposure in the restaurant industry."
The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association has "a very small marketing budget," Mr. Kreis said, so "we do not do a whole lot nationally aside from advertise in trade magazines and participate in trade shows."
For more on the Red River Valley potato deal, see the Jan. 7 issue of The Produce News.
Ted Kreis, marketing director of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, said that he has been on that staff for four years. He is unaware of any predecessors who have been involved in the NRA show. "I know we used to go to United [Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association show] in Chicago," he said. "But I think we have never exhibited in the foodservice show before. We are looking to expand the foodservice market."
The potato growers association is hiring a chef to make a presentation at the NRA show. The chef will bake red potatoes for foodservice use.
In the last five or 10 years, foodservice establishments have "much more widely used red potatoes because there is more color on the plate, and the red potato is very versatile," he said. "A lot are mashed with skins on in restaurants, and baby red potatoes are broiled or boiled. We are the largest red growing area in the country, and we want to grab more of that foodservice market."
He added, "The NRA show is a huge event. There are 75,000 people, and it is three times the size of PMA, so it should give us very good exposure in the restaurant industry."
The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association has "a very small marketing budget," Mr. Kreis said, so "we do not do a whole lot nationally aside from advertise in trade magazines and participate in trade shows."
For more on the Red River Valley potato deal, see the Jan. 7 issue of The Produce News.
