“We will store and wash roughly 650,000cwt of our own Red River Valley potatoes, as well as market some of the Central Minnesota summer crop for a handful of Minnesota farms,” said Carissa Olsen, president and CEO of the Buxton, ND-based company. “Since our inception, we have been known to provide the best spuds around, many people who have moved on—some even states away—still return to purchase potatoes whenever they are in the area. The people in the Red River Valley know a good thing when they see (and taste) it.”“The packaging line update will mirror the setup that was upgraded in 2019,” Olsen said. “The new machine will help us remain current with packaging standards, like sewed balers, improved check weigher, updated programming technology and increased packaging capacity.”
The updated technology in a new machine will also increase packaging speed by 15 percent, allowing NoKota Packers to produce more finished products each day.
“The addition of a robotic palletizing system will automate the stacking of 50-pounds bags onto pallets,” Olsen said. “These positions are the hardest to fill as they are laborious, manual labor. Many of these stacking job openings have remained unfilled or were vacated regularly for the past five years. This addition will also increase our efficiencies by almost 20 percent due to the ability to run the line without risk of injury or shut down because of worker absences.”
For NoKota Packers, growing quality potatoes and giving the customer the best possible service is vital to its success.
“Being able to maintain a supply and quality of the supply is key,” Olsen said. “We can do that on a consistent basis with our experienced growers and other partners in the industry.”
NoKota Packers’ customers span all segments of the potato category from retail, wholesale, food service and re-packers.
“There’s always a constant change in the colored varieties, so keeping up with customers’ needs and wants is always something we are working hard to accommodate,” Olsen said. “We continue to see an increase in supply of yellow potatoes to the market. We believe the desire from the consumers to find sustainable, healthy food options will continue, and potatoes are a perfect fit.”
