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merchandising review root vegetables
Root Revival: Veggies Back In Vogue
Root vegetables come in all shapes and colors and make for striking displays, from radishes in red (top left) and white (bottom left) to yucca to carrots.
Asian and Hispanic consumers are helping introduce more exotic varieties to mainstream.
DBY ANTHONY STOECKERT
ig a little deep, and you’ll get to the roots. And once retail- ers discover the avor, versa- tility, and growing popularity of lesser-known root vegeta-
bles, they’re also likely to nd an opportuni- ty to increase sales of these products. ere’s a built-in market of consumers who already know and love these root vegetables, and also a potential new customer base of foodies and consumers who want to eat healthier.
“Root vegetables have really moved from the slow cooker to the grill and roasting pan,” says Michael Schutt, senior category manager for produce at Raley’s, based in Sacramento, CA. “ ey have also migrated from side to center plate. Consumers are seeking bright
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colors, varied textures and loads of nutrients in their vegetables, and this category has those characteristics in spades.”
NOT YOUR TYPICAL ROOT VEGETABLES
Root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and onions have been staples in kitchens for genera- tions, but there are many other options that of- fer terri c taste and versatility, and they can add excitement and new avors to the dinner table.
Jessie Capote is principal and executive vice president of J&C Tropicals, based in Mi- ami. J&C is a third-generation, family-owned grower, packer and distributor of more than 65 tropical fruits and vegetables, and has farms in the Redland agricultural region, south of Mi- ami, as well as in central South America and the Caribbean.
“If you’ve known us for the past 54 years, you’d probably say, ‘ ose are the root vegeta- ble guys, because that’s how the business was founded,’ ” says Capote. “It is our oldest and most hardcore line because we currently farm, or have farmed, all of the root vegetables in that category, and it gets pretty specialized.”
Capote says yucca root and ginger are J&C’s most mainstream root vegetables, and the com- pany also o ers many specialty veggies.
“ ere are tropical root vegetables that are pretty niche for Asian and Hispanic demo- graphics,” he says.
ose include Malanga, which has three varieties: blanca, lila and eddo. ere’s also Malanga coco, also known as taro root, and boniato. “ at’s a Caribbean sweet potato that we grew in Cuba way back when. We brought the seed to the United States and we grow it in the Redlands,” says Capote. “ at’s actually the product that founded the company.” He adds that J&C grows about 1,000 acres of bo- niato in the Redlands.
J&C also carries a diverse line of yams. Not the yams that are best-known in the United States, but two varieties of white yams that are grown in Colombia and Costa Rica. Also key is a yellow yam operation in Jamaica.
Chris Lindley, chief executive of Flavorful Brands, a company based in Ladera Ranch, CA, that specializes in sourcing high-quality vegetable seed and produce for the market,