“Regardless of your political affiliation, I think the theme of ‘making America healthy’ resonates with everyone, because people are becoming more and more aware of what they are putting in their bodies,” Beck said. “People are becoming more educated about how things are being grown or produced. With organics, there are strict agricultural practices you have to adhere to. A customer can go to a grocery store and know that the organic potatoes had to follow certain strict credentials, and that is confirmation that what they are putting into their bodies is a more regimented way of growing that commodity.”
The quality of the 2024 organic potatoes and onions has been solid, with not much change from the banner 2023 crops.
“It was what we would expect from our organic crop. I wouldn’t say it was outstanding or poor, it’s more average and a good quality, and people will be pleased with what they find on the shelves,” Beck said.
One of the challenges with growing organic potatoes is that when they go into storage, Wada needs to use sprout inhibitors like clove oil to help them suppress sprout growth and stand the dormancy during storage season.
“Organics are not an easy thing to grow, maintain or store, but that’s why people pay the price they do for them,” Beck said.
For Wada, offering organics is just one part of its sustainability story. For example, the packaging the organic produce is in also follows its sustainability mindset.
“I think you have to complete the whole organic offering, not just the product itself, but what it’s sold in,” Beck said. “That’s the best way to appeal to the organic consumer.”
As the company looks to 2025, Wada will start planting in April and will monitor the varietal consumer demand for both conventional and organic, and ensure it has the right percentage of what people are looking for.
It’s recently launched branded Smalls, petite mini-potatoes have been doing well and Beck noted that line will be expanded with additional acreage as well.
