NASHVILLE, NC – Sweet Potato harvest is currently underway for Nash Produce, with the North Carolina-based produce provider primed to meet demand from its retail, foodservice, and processor partners.
I recently had a chance to catch up with the company’s Director of Marketing and Business Development Tami Long to find out more about the season’s progress and what customers can expect this season.
“We are currently 15 to 20 percent harvested,” Tami tells me, noting that the company is anticipating an increase in demand to bolster this season’s high-quality crop. “This season, yields have been at the least average, and quality is above average. We have had a very good growing season, with no extreme temperatures and no droughts. Movement continues to be steady…and we are anticipating volumes equivalent to 2016, hopeful to see a higher demand from the 2017 crop which would increase prices.”
The company is currently growing organic and conventional sweet potatoes in Covington, Bonita, and Murasaki varieties. And while Tami tells me pricing on the 2016 crop made it challenging for growers to make a profit, she notes that Nash Produce is optimistic about the current crop’s prospective pricing. The company is currently hard at work educating consumers, developing new products, and helping its partners drive sales in restaurants and produce departments.
“Nash Produce will be working to educate the consumer on the versatility of sweet potatoes, and that they are more than a holiday pie,” Tami notes. “We are looking to partner with other companies to create new products including sweet potatoes.”
Nash Produce offers a number of resources for its customers, including: custom private labeling, point-of-sale displays, and multiple product SKUs for sweet potatoes, including varieties, organics, bags, microwavables, steamables, and bulk (with or without PLUs).
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