b'Potato products sold by the Little Potato Company in Canada.PHOTO: LITTLE POTATO COMPANYWe know about 85 per cent of households purchase potatoesspecific type for cooking preparation. There are seven major types annually. Theyre considered a staple household item(consumersof potatoes that Potatoes USA focuses its education strategies on are) buying them consistently without always a purpose in mind. Ifincluding russets, reds, yellows, whites, blue/purples, fingerlings and were going into a variety in terms of marketing, its going to impactpetites.that demand from consumers and also the supply situation as well,What we found is that consumers are already kind of confused Kayla Vogel, senior global marketing manager for consumer andabout what to do with just those different types of potatoes, those retail with Potatoes USA, explains in a Microsoft Teams interview. seven major types. So, adding varietals into that conversation would Marketing potatoes by broader categories and not specific varietyadd to the confusion when it comes to how to prepare these different ensures availability. It also guarantees new varieties can be tried outtypes of potatoes, Harvey adds.by growers. New potato varieties are being developed to addressThe Little Potato Company has leaned into this type of production challenges such as drought or disease concerns andmarketing. The Canadian-based fresh potato marketer uses product growers want to grow them, Phillips with the P.E.I. Potato Board says.names such as Little Yellows and Little Fingerlings to emphasize There are many new varieties being tried and it takes a longthat these are distinctive products from their company.time to know if a variety is really going to work. It might work fromWe think that really helps our consumers think in relation to a taste standpoint, you have a couple dry years its great but thenlarge potatoes that they might be more familiar with. So, were theres a wet season and that potato doesnt really perform well underjust trying to make things easy for consumers and make their those conditions, he adds. decisions easier in store, Sanford Gleddie, executive vice president While consumers may get to see the new wealth of variety namesof sales, marketing and business development with the Little Potato being grown on store shelves, these new varieties are causing there toCompany, explains in a phone interview.be more options of potatoes to buy. There has been a shift from redThe company has multiple variety types for each of these to yellow fresh potato varieties planted by potato growers, which isproducts. The varieties have similar sensory traits so the company leading to there being more potato types available on store shelves. can ensure they have consistent supplies. Youre seeing an increase in the number of stores that areWeve done a lot of research to figure out what are the handful of carrying those special varieties. There are more opportunities forsensory traits that really create that potato love for that consumer. consumers to buy more different types of potatoes, Vogel says.So, from this research we found six or seven traits around visual, Those new specialty varieties or other types that are coming outthe look of the potato, the taste, the texture, the aroma, that really arent necessarily cannibalizing the sales of the traditional ones thattriggered thats what I want in a potato. We know what those are, consumers would buy. and we breed our specific varieties and select varieties based on Potatoes USA has found through market research that consumershaving those traits, Gleddie says.are looking for more diversity on their menus. As part of PotatoesHe adds that over the years the company has become more USAs work, the group does consumer and chef education on how toattuned to what its customer base needs and wants when it comes use the different types of potatoes in recipes. to potatoes, allowing the Little Potato Company to breed potato You wouldnt want to use a variety like a russet in something thatvarieties to match consumer preferences. It also lets the company is going to break down the potato too much. So (for) soups, stews,understand how to market its potatoes to consumers. braises, we tend to educate the chefs that they would want to select a red or a yellow or white or something thats going to be a little bitThe Future of Potato Salesmore resilient, Harvey says. Marketing by variety over category type could pigeonhole the potato In the past, cooking education had focused on starchy versusand retail industries some in the industry say. If a retailer were to waxy varieties but now Potatoes USA uses a more detailed educationdecide it would only carry one variety and then that variety isnt strategy. Harvey explains that each variety of potato fits into agrown one year, what is that retailer to do?10SPUDSMART.COMWinter 2024'