Organic sweet potatoes sales has increased over the years. If organics are popular in your store, it’s worth it to give organic sweet potatoes a try. This holiday favorite can certainly add some dollars to the bottom line.
Promote organic sweet potatoes heavily during the winter holidays. Cross-promote them with organic nuts, brown sugar and marshmallows.
Include organic sweet potatoes in summer grilling promotions as they are a more nutrient-dense option for a baked potato than regular potatoes. Appeal to health-conscious consumers by playing up the organic growing practices that result in reduced use of pesticides.
Offer samples of organic sweet potato french fries to attract consumers who might not be interested in sweet potatoes’ other uses.
Promote organic sweet potatoes to those consumers following paleo-style diets as a side dish to replace regular potatoes.
Consider adding organic sweet potatoes to your mix for the first time around the winter holidays. This is the time when most consumers are looking for sweet potatoes, so you may find more success with organic varieties when consumers already have sweet potatoes on their minds.
Offer both bagged and bulk organic sweet potatoes to appeal to consumers seeking both small and large quantities.
Consider displaying organic sweet potatoes with other organic potatoes and onions. Place conventional product across the aisle to make an attractive display that keeps conventional and organic product separate.
Include information about organic growing practices and sweet potatoes’ health benefits in your display.
Shipping
Organic sweet potatoes are most often shipped in 40-pound cartons.
Grades
United States grades
U.S. extra No. 1
U.S. No. 1
U.S. commercial
U.S. No. 2
Jumbo
Louisiana grades
Louisiana commercial (has same requirements as U.S. No. 2)
Louisiana jumbo (has same requirements as U.S. No. 2, except it cannot weight less than 16 oz.)
North Carolina grades
U.S. No. 1 medium (has same requirements as U.S. No. 1)
U.S. No. 1 small (has same requirements as U.S. No. 1, except maximum diameter cannot exceed 2¼ inches)
Handling
