Bako Sweet fills every need for sweet potatoes
Bako Sweet fills every need for sweet potatoes
Bako Sweet is a large, sweet potato grower/shipper/packer/marketer out of California and is the only producer of sweet potatoes in southern California.
“Our Bako Sweet brand is ranked No. 1 according to Nielsen’s most recent 52 weeks report ending Dec. 27, 2025, and is driving category growth,” said Susan Noritake, vice president of sales and marketing for the Bakersfield, CA-based company.
Sweet potato demand continues to grow as consumers recognize culinary versatility, health benefits and ease of use.
“Retail and foodservice customers are enjoying sales throughout the year where in the past most demand was heavily concentrated in November and December around major holidays,” Noritake said. “Those months still have heavy demand; however, we see more utilization throughout the year, which is very exciting.”
Instead of concentrating on specific varieties, Bako Sweet likes to think of sweet potatoes in colors.
“Orange is still our most popular, it has a very creamy texture and sweet flavor,” Noritake said. “It’s what most people think of when talking about sweet potatoes. Next, we have red which is still very traditional but not quite as sweet or creamy as the orange varieties. Purple has been getting very popular. They tend to have a nuttier flavor which is a fun twist. We also have white sweet potatoes which are a bit dryer and sweeter than the rest. Some people really like these mashed. So, we have a sweet potato to meet many needs.”
California sweet potatoes tend to be very consistent and free of scarring compared to other growing regions.
“At Bako Sweet, we size in the field in five distinct size profiles that allows us to have consistent packs in all our value-added offerings and naturally makes our #1’s very consistent as well,” Noritake said. “We are looking out 3 to 5 years for propagation needs and operate from a sales plan that helps us plant enough of each type of sweet potato to meet customers’ growing needs.”
Sweet potatoes start in hot beds which is typically begins in late January and then are transplanted in the spring for harvest that starts in August and goes through November. After that, the product is stored and utilized until a new crop is ready the following year.
“We see retailers expanding their sweet potato space within the produce department with special focus on packaged products that are convenient for the shopper,” Noritake said. “The most successful programs utilize eye-catching and secondary displays to elicit an impulse buy since sweet potatoes are likely not on many shopping lists in the spring and summer. Although this trend is changing as we all work together.”
Bako Sweet is focused on quality, efficiency and the ability to scale the business as demand continues to grow.
“We also invest in marketing to help drive demand and traffic to the stores of our retail partners,” Noritake said. “Sustainability is an important pillar and something we take seriously. Most important is our crop rotation that keeps the soil healthy now and for the future. We also look at water usage, sustainable packaging, storage and freight efficiencies to name a few.”
Sweet potatoes are outpacing potatoes and total produce from a growth trajectory and that means good news for growers in the years ahead.
“The opportunities are here and it’s about what makes the most sense to meet the demands of customers, shoppers and consumers while maintaining best business practices for a scalable and efficient operation,” Noritake said.
