Newport Beach, CA – The Fresh Solutions Network®, represented by Basin Gold Cooperative, Pasco, Washington, Mack Farms of Lake Wales, Florida, and Sterman Masser Potato Farms of Sacramento, PA, will exhibit their branded Side Delights® fresh potatoes, as well as a new line of spuds, at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure trade show, March 4th, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. SEPC’s Southern Exposure show highlights the latest innovations within the fresh produce industry.
“We’ve exhibited at SEPC’s Southern Exposure for over a decade. We are a proud Gold Sponsor of this show, supporting SEPC at its highest level”, said Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network. “We consistently find that regional shows, such as this, provide the right balance of breadth of buyers and depth of buying teams to showcase our product innovations in a serious yet social environment.”
Fresh produce is an affordable luxury, and the fresh potato category leads fresh vegetables as the most purchased category in the produce department. Potatoes have been the most popular vegetable for the past five years! According to The Packers 2022 Fresh Trends report, 62% of consumers surveyed reportedly bought fresh potatoes in the past 12 months. The only category more popular was bananas, with 63% of consumers buying1. Potatoes are more than America’s favorite vegetable; they are also America’s favorite side dish, with 75% of buyers using potatoes this way1. Despite a slight decrease in volume sales (Oct-Dec 2022), volume sales remain 3.7% above pre-pandemic levels 2. Post-pandemic consumers have returned to looking for convenience-oriented potato items when shopping.
Capitalizing on category trends and consumer buying behavior, the Side Delights brand of potatoes are available in a full assortment of sizes and types, including convenience-oriented items like our Amazables!, Steamables, Bakeables, and Grillables. Our potatoes are 100 percent non-GMO.
“We invite attendees to visit us at booth #1047,” added Triou. “We will showcase our refreshed Side Delights packaging and new Savvy Spuds product line. Addressing the tight potato market, we launched Savvy Spuds now to ensure ALL good eating potatoes can find their way to dinner tables, despite looking slightly different. We believe this is one way to address sustainability efforts by reducing overall food waste. I’m not sharing the Savvy Spuds design in this press release; you’ll have to stop by the booth to see it. Speaking of sustainability, we also have a sustainable packaging solution that is a ‘must see it to believe it’ solution. Hint: looks like poly, feels like poly, but turns into gas in landfills and can be recycled!”
For more information on Side Delights® products and its network of farms, visit SideDelights.com, GrownWhereItMatters.com, and www.FreshSolutionsNet.com .
* Sources:
1. The Packer, Fresh Trends 2022
2. IRI Unify Retail Sales: 1/3/22- 1/1/23
About Fresh Solutions Network, LLC: Fresh Solutions Network (FSN) is the exclusive supplier of Side Delights® potatoes and onions. FSN is a group of family-owned potato and onion growers and shippers who help fresh potato and onion buyers grow their categories, maximize category investment, and increase sales. FSN delivers category insights, collaborative innovation, and customized assortment. Fresh Solutions Network, LLC partners include: Sterman Masser, Inc. (Masser Potato Farms and Keystone Potato Products in Sacramento and Hegins, PA), Fresh Solution Farms (White Pigeon, MI), Michael Family Farms, Inc. (Urbana, OH), Basin Gold Cooperative, Inc. (Pasco, WA), NoKota Packers, Inc. (Buxton, ND), and Mack Farms (Lake Wales, FL).
