Idaho potato grower-shippers say their foodservice sales have rebounded after the COVID-19 downturn, and many say they haven’t suffered any new declines despite reports that higher costs are keeping consumers from dining out.
Their versatility has made Idaho potatoes a favorite among chefs, says Ryan Wahlen, sales manager for Pleasant Valley Potato Inc., Aberdeen, Idaho.
“Idaho potatoes are the most versatile of the potato varieties” he says.
The company does a lot of foodservice business, Wahlen explains, shipping operators red and yellow potatoes as well as fingerings.
“But the staple by far is russet potatoes,” he says. “And Idaho is the biggest share of that market.”
Russets are good for baking, french fries, hash browns or mashed.
Derek Peterson, vice president of sales and operations for Rexburg, Idaho-based Wilcox Fresh, says he has also found that russet potatoes, especially burbanks and norkotahs, are quite versatile at foodservice.
“The nice thing about burbanks and norkotahs is that both those varieties check a lot of boxes for chefs and retail customers,” he says.
But for the most part, all of the varieties the company grows are widely accepted among foodservice operators as well as retailers.
“Whether it’s a retail customer or foodservice, we try to give it the same level of attention,” Peterson says. “Everyone expects a quality item that is going to look good and taste good.”
Though the company’s foodservice customers typically order the same varieties retailers do, some chefs are particularly interested in specific characteristics, like flavor profile, texture or cooking qualities.
“We try to grow as good a variety as we can to address all those needs,” he says.
At Eagle Eye Produce in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Coleman Oswald, director of sales, says foodservice has rebounded well since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Overall, we’re seeing good movement in the foodservice sector,” he says.
But Oswald adds that inflation has put some pressure on restaurant traffic.
Wada Farms Marketing Group, Idaho Falls, also does significant foodservice business, according to Eric Beck, marketing director.
Now that the COVID-19 downturn is over in the foodservice sector, consumers must cope with the higher cost of dining out, he says.
“Consumers are adapting to the new price pressures that are out there,” he says.
Pleasant Valley’s Wahlen says he’s heard that traffic is down at some restaurants, but he says Pleasant Valley has not seen a measurable sales drop at foodservice.
Certain types of eateries might be experiencing sales slump, though, he adds.
“Some concepts are doing a lot of business and other might be struggling,” Wahlen says.
It’s hard to gauge how much of an effect, if any, a slump in foodservice sales has on the business at Wilcox Fresh, Peterson says.
“It’s not hitting our radar yet,” he says. “Demand seems relatively strong.”
