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merchandising review sweet potatoes
times they’re looking for, usually less than 10 minutes, and smaller pack sizes make good meals for one or two people without having to worry about what to do with the leftovers.
Matt Garber, partner at Garber Farms based in Iota, LA, sees a trend in consumer preference for smaller pack sizes. “Some consumers want a smaller sweet potato, and these consumer packs give them that option,” says Garber. “ at’s something that wasmostlymissing veyearsago.”Garber leaves it up to individual retailers to decide how they cater to the needs of their shoppers. “If they do it all, it’s probably too much for the sweet potato category, but merchandisers can pick what they think consumers in their area will gravitate toward.”
“Customers want ease,” says Jacob Shafer, senior marketing and communications specialist at Mann Packing Co., based in Salinas, CA. “Getting back to their busy lives as fast as possible has never mattered more, and one of the biggest reasons for a consumer to be unsatis ed with a product is the amount of e ort they have to put into it.”
Although the trend is toward smaller pack sizes, not all shoppers have the same buying needs.“Whatworksforusisbulkdisplay,”says Dan Dvor, store manager at A&N House of Produce in Philadelphia. “We work in volume. Webuyalot,weputalotinthebag,andwe sell it for a low price. We give them a good- looking sweet potato for a good price, and that’s what drives the sale.” In the neighbor-
hood where the store is based, sweet potatoes are not a trend but always have been a consis- tent seller. “We sell more sweet potatoes than any kind of potato,” says Dvor.
3. NEW VARIETIES
Consumers not only gravitate toward convenience, they’re also interested in trying new things. Vick Family Farms, in addition to their mainstay varieties such as Covington andBeauregard,hasseenincreasedsaleswith the Murasaki variety over the past year. “It is a purple-skinned Japanese sweet potato with a distinctive nutty avor,” says Vick. “ e purple beauty’s soft white esh is loaded with vitamin C and dietary ber.”
Much of this desire for new varieties is
144 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS