Global Produce & Floral Show Preview: Sweet Potatoes
The timing of the Global Produce & Floral Show dovetails well into seasonal opportunities that sweet potato suppliers are looking forward to exploring with their current and potential partners. While leading companies have worked meticulously to promote the sweet potato as a versatile year-round ingredient rather than a seasonal side dish, the coming few months culminating in the holiday season still represents a prime time to assess crop quality and yield, fine-tune marketing initiatives and plan for 2026.
Many issues and topics are on the minds of this year’s participants including crop yield, said Robin Narron, Sales Support Representative and Marketing Director for Nash Produce. “We’ve had a really good season so far. We were kind of worried about what Hurricane Erin was going to do as far as rainfall, and right now everything is looking good. The crop is looking good; potatoes are looking good. Everything coming out of the ground seems to have a really good, tight skin on it, so we’re excited about the upcoming harvest.”
Given the show’s focus on fresh produce, Narron expects there will be a large and continued emphasis on sustainability across the board. “In the past couple of years, sustainability has always been a big topic at these shows,” she said. “With everything going on, sustainability is going to be a huge topic. And then as far as sweet potatoes, I would say the upcoming crop because that’s typically, the kickoff to the Thanksgiving, or the holiday season. That is primarily known for being the sweet potato season before we started shipping year round, and so that’s a big time for us, so for them to be able to look at the crops, see how it’s looking, it will be a big deal.”
Nash Produce has noted that overall consumer demand for sweet potatoes continues to trend upward, including a new enthusiasm over certain novel varieties. “The Japanese Murasaki is definitely taking off in popularity in certain parts of the country.”
At the Global Produce & Floral Show, however, Nash will be spotlighting its produce in a manner it hasn’t typically been able to in the past. “The one new thing we don’t normally get to do at this show is we are going to showcase our new crop, so because of the weather last year and it was such a short crop, we ended up having to plant a little early and therefore our crop is going to be ready a little early,” explained Narron. “Typically, we would be showcasing old crop at the show. [This year], we’re actually going to be taking our new crop, so that’s something we don’t normally get to showcase most of the time. With a lot of these early fall shows, when we go people are still looking at crop that was harvested the year before and not the crop that we have just recently harvested because it’s still in the curing rooms, or some of it is even still in the ground at the time. That is one thing different about the show for us that we will be able to showcase that normally we don’t get the opportunity to do. They will see what the crop that’s coming out of the ground now is looking like, so the product that’s actually going to be going into the stores is actually going to be what they’re seeing.”
For example, “We’re going to be showcasing our Mr. Yam line of products, which includes bagged products, some individually wrapped microwaveable-friendly products. We have our petite steamable pouches, so we will have our whole Mr. Yam line there to showcase. We’re going to show off the quality of North Carolina sweet potatoes.”
Meanwhile, Bako Sweet will be sharing the bounty of California’s San Joaquin Valley. Last month, the company announced its first Game Day Tailgating promotion. The lineup will feature limited-time football-themed packaging and eye-catching in-store displays designed to capture shopper attention through September and October. The promotion includes organic and conventional sweet potato trays, organic and conventional 3-lb and 5-lb mesh bags and the wrapped, ready-to-microwave Single Sweets, now dressed to look like footballs. Vibrant Game Day Tailgating display bins will feature the playful “Sweeten Game Day Tailgating” theme, complete with a football goal post graphic and sweet potato appetizer imagery.
“Fall is one of the most exciting times for food and entertaining, and game day gatherings are a perfect occasion to spotlight sweet potatoes,” said Susan Noritake, VP of Sales and Marketing at Bako Sweet. “We’re encouraging retailers to get their orders in now so they can be ready to win big when shoppers start planning their tailgates. Our themed packaging and fun, high visibility displays not only grab shopper attention but also inspire creative, better-for-you game day recipes.”
This tailgating promotion is the latest example of Bako Sweet’s continued, retailer-focused marketing support. “This year, we’re focusing on innovative retail merchandising strategies, engaging digital campaigns and influencer partnerships to showcase sweet potatoes beyond their traditional uses,” Noritake said previously. “We’re creating multiple touchpoints to inspire shoppers and drive sales. Retailers trust us as a key partner in driving category growth with high-quality branding and value-added products that meet consumer demand.”
Noritake explained, “Retailers have done an excellent job positioning sweet potatoes as a holiday must-have, and we’re providing the tools to help them maintain that momentum throughout the year.”
Brands like Sand Candy are diligent on the supply side to ensure year-round supply to support that consumption. “One of the ways we ensure that reliability is by diversifying our growing regions—we source from both Georgia and North Carolina,” said Sloan Lott, Director of Sales for Bland Farms, an overseer of the Sand Candy brand. “Sweet potatoes thrive in the warm, well-drained soils of the Southeast, and both North Carolina and Georgia are ideal for growing them, but for different, complementary reasons. North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the US, known for its long-standing infrastructure, deep grower expertise and high yields. Georgia offers slightly earlier harvest windows due to its warmer climate, which gives us a strategic advantage in getting fresh product to market sooner.”
