Nash Produce's Organic Sweetpotato Program Sees Continued Sales Growth

It’s sweetpotato harvest season, and Nashville, North Carolina-based Nash Produce is expecting a solid organic crop this year.

“This year’s harvest is looking steady compared to previous years,” said Robin Narron, marketing director and sales support for the grower-owned company. "We have supplied organic sweetpotatoes to customers since the start of Nash Produce in 2006 and have increased our organic acreage many times over the years. North Carolina is notorious for growing exceptional sweetpotatoes both by the volumes grown and the quality of the product. Our growing conditions and soil types are [optimal] for successful sweetpotato growth, allowing our growers to produce a wide size variety of the root vegetable to fulfill any customer preference.”

Robin Narron, Marketing Director and Sales Support, Nash Produce

Nash offers organic sweetpotatoes year-round in bulk and mesh bags, and private label packaging options are also available. Its organic customer base is primarily retailers throughout the US as well as in Canada and the UK.

"We have supplied organic sweetpotatoes to customers since the start of Nash Produce in 2006 and have increased our organic acreage many times over the years.” - Robin Narron

Narron said Nash’s organic program has been growing since its inception, with single-digit year-over-year growth until 2010 and then double-digit annual growth from 2010–2015, which she attributes to an increase in health consciousness among consumers. “Then, after about 2015, things kind of leveled back out, and we're [experiencing] single-digit growth now,” she said. “Consumers are still trying to be health conscious and paying attention to what they eat and how things are grown.”

Mr. Yam's bags and singles

Nash Produce is one of the largest organic sweetpotato packer-shippers in the country, and organics make up about 20 percent of the company’s overall business.

Narron said there are challenges to growing sweetpotatoes organically, namely in terms of yield. “It's harder to grow organics just because you can't use the conventional fertilizers, pesticides, those kinds of things on the sweetpotatoes. So that makes [them] harder to grow; that makes the yield smaller. And so ultimately that's why the prices of organics really with any commodity [are] higher.”

Originally founded as a cucumber grower-shipper in 1977, Nash delved into the world of organic and conventional sweetpotatoes in 2006 when the company was bought by a group of tobacco and sweetpotato farmers.

“[They] recognized the need for a facility like ours, purchased the company, and formed Nash Produce,” said Narron. “As a result of the North Carolina soil and climate, our local family farms provide the perfect environment for growing the world’s best sweetpotatoes. Today we are proud to be a leading supplier in the industry with a focus on innovation, quality produce, and unrivaled service. … Our prime location, year-round product, committed family of employees, and deep-rooted relationships with our grower base gives us the capability to dependably serve retail, foodservice, and processors in the industry.”

“It's harder to grow organics just because you can't use the conventional fertilizers, pesticides, those kinds of things on the sweetpotatoes. So that makes [them] harder to grow; that makes the yield smaller. And so ultimately that's why the prices of organics really with any commodity [are] higher.” - Robin Narron

Nash Produce provides sweetpotato marketing materials to retailers and encourages them to use the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission as a marketing resource as well. Narron notes that sweetpotatoes are highly nutritious, providing vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fiber.

Nash Produce, along with the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission, stresses the importance of marketing sweetpotatoes as a regular staple, not something to only be enjoyed during the holiday season. “They can be utilized in so many different ways,” Narron said. “We want people to enjoy them year-round, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

She said consumers have already begun to make this shift and are eating sweetpotatoes more regularly. “Sweetpotatoes are so incredibly versatile and are a hot item all year long. While many consumers may associate sweetpotatoes with holidays to make those signature, yummy sides, we’ve been noticing an uptick in movement during the warmer months!”

“As a result of the North Carolina soil and climate, our local family farms provide the perfect environment for growing the world’s best sweetpotatoes.” - Robin Narron

“My advice to retailers would be to keep your sweetpotato volumes well stocked and visible all months of the year!” Narron said. “Grilled sweetpotatoes and sweetpotato smoothies are popular treats during the warmer months, while roasted sweetpotato and sweetpotato soups and chilis are both healthy and filling during those cooler months.”

Note: “Sweetpotato” (one word) is the recommended spelling of the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission, which it adopted in 1989. The one-word spelling helps to more clearly distinguish the variety from potatoes and yams.