Vick Family Farms: IFPA show a great opportunity to meet Customers
Sweet potato grower and shipper Vick Family Farms is a North Carolina-based company with most customers based on the East Coast or Midwest.
The company, however, will be on the West Coast for the International Fresh Produce Association Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, CA. Charlotte Vick, partner/sales and marketing manager for Wilson-based Vick Family Farms, said she doesn’t like to miss a show, which draws attendees from across the country and beyond.
“It only takes one good contact to be beneficial, so it is important we are consistent with shows each year,” Vick said.
The annual IFPA show provides exhibitors with the opportunity to meet with customers from across the country on the show floor, off-site meetings and networking events.
“IFPA is a great opportunity to see our customers and meet new potential customers face-to-face in one location,” Vick said. “We do a handful of shows each year so being able to connect with them other than just telephone or email is great.”
Vick Family Farms will be at booth No. 2850. Two of the company’s employees will be at the IFPA show.
“It is harvest season for us, plus packing is ramping up for the (Thanksgiving) holiday so it is hard to take many from the farm to help in the booth,” she said.
That also means the company will have new crop potatoes on display at the booth.
“We began showcasing new crop cured at the SEPC Southern Innovation show so we will definitely have them at IFPA,” she said. “They are beautiful this season, too, so they’re really catching a lot of attention.”
Several storms last season inundated fields and led to a production drop of about a third in North Carolina and sweet potato growers are looking forward to a return to normal inventories as the season progresses.
Vick Family Farms will have all varieties it grows on display, along with all the packs it offers to customers. Vick said the company remains steadfast in offering superior customer service and quality sweet potatoes.
“We want our customers to know when you see Carolina Gold and the Vick Family name you know you are getting first class,” she said. “We take a lot of pride in what we do from growing and packing all the way to assisting the customer with (point of sale) ideas.”
“We stand behind every box that leaves our shed and often do store visits to make sure what we sell looks great on the shelves,” Vick said. “If you drive onto our farm, you will immediately know what we offer because it shows in every aspect our team does here daily.”
The company recently completed a project to add more storage facilities for the crop.
“They will allow us the opportunity for our customers to continue to grow their sales and go cured to cured each year,” Vick said. “Our growing customer needs required us to increase.”
The plans were launched around the time of Covid , she said but progress was slow as the company made sure it was beneficial to the company and its customers.
“This was the perfect time and Lyn Vick did a great job making sure the building was completed by harvest this year,” she said. “It will greatly add benefits to our company.”