WPVGA works to make Wisconsin the top in-state potato
WPVGA works to make Wisconsin the top in-state potato
For the last 20 years, the primary goal of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association has been to make Wisconsin the largest source for potatoes sold in Wisconsin. Tamas Houlihan, the association’s executive director, said, “We are getting very close” to accomplishing that goal.
Still, even after two decades of consumer education, “It’s amazing how many people in Wisconsin are unaware," he said. "A lot of people don’t know there are any potatoes that are grown in Wisconsin.”
Executive Director of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association Tamas Houlihan (right) at a public appearance in the Spudmobile.
The “buy local” movement and concern about reducing foods’ carbon footprint are helpful in boosting consumer awareness.
The WPVGA, based in Antigo, has made a big investment in creating its own “Spudmobile” to educate consumers. The big customized bus is filled with eight electronic exhibits to educate consumers at public events. The Spudmobile first hit the road in 2014.
“We have been busy this year with the Spudmobile in marketing,” Houlihan said. “It’s been on the road on an average of four or five days a week since May.”
For WPVGA’s Jim Zdroik, coordinating the Spudmobile is a full-time job. Zdroik schedules appearances, then drives the bus and greets and educates the public at festivals, fairs, schools and sporting events.
The Spudmobile “is on the road as much as possible,” Houlihan said. Wisconsin has a population of 6.5 million, so there are plenty of people to be consuming in-state potatoes. But with the Spudmobile, promotions increasingly are going to Illinois, Minnesota and other states.
Houlihan noted that Ruth Faivre was hired Feb. 2 to become the new managing editor of the association’s Badger Common’Tater magazine. Houlihan, who has worked for WPVGA for 24 years, held that — and other roles — with WPVGA before his Dec. 4 promotion.
