Easter promotions should spark sweet potato demand

Easter promotions should spark sweet potato demand this spring, says Robin Narron, marketing director and sales support for Nash Produce, Nashville, N.C.

“We do expect conditions to pick up going into the Easter holiday,” Narron said, noting that sweet potato movement can increase up to 20% during the Easter sales period.

Export sales are also a part of the demand equation.

Total U.S. sweet potato exports in 2022 totaled $148.1 million, down from $185.3 million in 2021. Exports have begun to pick up somewhat in 2023, Narron said. 

“We are back in the regular swing of things,” she said.

Marketing outlook

Nash Produce has invested a lot of money in storage facilities, enabling the marketer to ship quality sweet potatoes year-round.

A couple of trends may help sweet potato demand this spring and summer, Narron said. With a slowing economy, consumers may be cautious about spending money to go out to eat. Instead, many will instead choose to eat at home.

Another trend is greater health-conscious consumption during the first few months of 2023, as consumers pay closer attention to the things they are eating and cooking at home.

“Sweet potatoes tend to do really good during that time,” she said.

The 2023 harvest season is expected to run from about Labor Day through the beginning of November.

With storage supplies ample through to the fall, the transition to new crop supplies typically occurs about mid-October, she said. 

“We typically try to start doing like our Thanksgiving orders with the new crop,” she said.

Nash Produce continues to focus on its value-added products, including tray packs, steamable bags and microwaveable individually wrapped sweet potatoes.

“We are focusing on improving those, making some changes with more sustainable films and trays,” she said.