“Although sweet potato exports to Europe have picked up in the past decade, market penetration hasn’t been high,” Steven Ceccarelli, owner and operator of Farm Fresh Produce, headquartered in Faison, NC, told The Produce News on Sept. 24. “We hope to change that in the future by introducing new packaging and launching a new advertising campaign in 2013.”

The company farms sweet potatoes in both North Carolina and Mississippi.

Mr. Ceccarelli added that it’s necessary for Farm Fresh Produce to invest in growing the customer knowledge base in Europe.

“We are excited about the launch of another new product in our sweet potato line,” Shane Watt, vice president of production for Wada Farms Marketing Group, headquartered in Idaho Falls, ID, told The Produce News. “It is a jumbo-size shrink-wrapped 14- to 18-ounce microwavable sweet potato. We are offering it under our ‘Wada Farms’ label.”

The Aug. 27 announcement by Britton Transport Inc. that it had acquired Scott’s Express Inc. and Scott’s Transportation Services Inc. is a positive step in the company’s projected growth track. “We expect to double the volume [of potatoes we will ship],” President David Britton told The Produce News Sept. 21. “It’s one of the initial steps in our strategies to grow Britton Transport.”

It’s been a toasty year for members of Associated Potato Growers Inc., located in Grand Forks, ND. “The current season has been a hot one to say the least,” Manager Paul Dolan told The Produce News Sept. 13. “We have had above-normal temperatures for almost a year now. The last two months have been very dry with no substantial rainfall.”

This is a season of redesign and reimaging for Black Gold Farms. “This past season, we took a look at our Black Gold Farms label and designed a new high-impact poly bag,” National Director of Sales Glen Reynolds told The Produce News Sept. 17. “The imagery and copy points highlight the benefits of red potatoes as well as tell the Black Gold Farms story in an easy-to-read and attractive layout.”

Bryan Silbermann, president and chief executive officer of the Produce Marketing Association, was honored Oct. 5 with an Award of Distinction from the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences at the University of California-Davis.