As sweetpotatoes evolve from a holiday favorite to a year-round option, grower-shippers in North Carolina, the nation’s largest producer of sweetpotatoes, are stepping up their efforts to draw attention to the category and develop ways to grow market share.
“Through recipes, social media, consumer education and partnerships with our retail customers on promotions and merchandising, we’re showing consumers just how versatile and convenient sweetpotatoes can be,” says Robin Narron, marketing director and sales support for Nash Produce, Nashville, N.C. “Our growing Mr. Yam line, including Murasaki sweetpotatoes and value-added packaging, gives us even more opportunities to create excitement and grow the category year-round.”
In Spring Hope, N.C., one way Farm Pak/Barnes Farming aims to increase sales is by “growing new varieties accepted by the cultures and demographics of the market we serve,” says Jacy Barnes Clapp, who handles marketing for the company.
Farm Pak has found success with the Murasaki variety among Hispanic and Asian communities, and Purple Splendor sweetpotatoes have been particularly popular in Asian markets abroad, she says.
Introducing bagged sweetpotatoes as well as bulk and encouraging retailers to offer sweetpotatoes year-round also have been effective sales boosters, she adds.
In California, Bakersfield-based Bako Sweet is working to make sweetpotatoes a football game-day favorite competing with guacamole during a promotion from September through October.
The grower-shipper-packer offers point-of-sale shippers that make the supermarket produce department a grab-and-go destination with football-themed packaging available in organic and conventional options, says Susan Noritake, vice president of sales and marketing.
Now in its second year, the promotion aims to attract younger consumers to a category that traditionally appealed to baby boomers, she says.
“There’s a huge opportunity to bring in younger demographics, including millennials,” she says.
The brand teams up with chefs and social media influencers to highlight tailgating alternatives like sweetpotato fries, chili, tacos and Tater Tots.
That approach appears to be working.
During its 2025 debut, Bako Sweet says its game-day promotion delivered a 73% lift in in-store sales. The promotion relies on football-themed, microwaveable “Single Sweets,” value-added mesh bags and POS shipper displays designed to spark impulse buys and increase shopping basket sizes, Noritake says.
This season, the shipper displays feature redesigned graphics celebrating America’s 250th birthday along with integrated QR codes linking directly to tailgating recipes, she says.
From Holiday to Every Day
Retailers shouldn’t limit sweetpotato visibility to the traditional holiday season, Narron says.
“We’ve seen success with prominent displays, seasonal promotions, cross-merchandising and offering a mix of bulk and convenient packaged options,” she says. “Pairing sweetpotatoes with complementary items and providing simple recipes or preparation ideas can also help inspire consumers.”
Cross-merchandising is especially effective when sweetpotatoes are paired with simple preparation ideas or convenient options like microwaveable and steamable sweetpotatoes, Narron adds.
“Products like our Steamables and individually wrapped microwaveable sweetpotatoes make preparation quick and easy, which helps position sweetpotatoes as an everyday option,” she says.
In general, positioning sweetpotatoes as “a versatile, healthy and convenient option for everyday meals,” can make a big difference, Narron adds.
Barnes Clapp also suggests cross-merchandising sweetpotatoes with proteins like chicken, pork and steak, along with grilling items, salad ingredients, seasonings, butter and sauces.
Asian-inspired sauces and seasonings can be a great pairing with Murasaki sweetpotatoes, she adds.
Cottage cheese, avocado, and beef — for the viral sweetpotato bowl on social media — eggs for breakfast hash, cheese and pizza toppings, brown sugar and pecans for sweetpotato casserole are other cross-merchandising ideas from Barnes Clapp.
“Cross-promotions help give consumers a complete meal idea and encourage them to think about sweetpotatoes in new ways beyond the traditional holiday dish,” she says.
Offering a variety of pack sizes and convenience options also is an effective way to reach a variety of consumers and create opportunities for sweetpotatoes beyond the traditional bulk display, Narron adds.
She advises retailers to consider secondary displays as well, which can put sweetpotatoes in front of consumers outside of their normal shopping routine.
“Cross-merchandising near proteins, grilling items or other meal components can help consumers think about sweetpotatoes as part of an everyday meal rather than just a holiday side,” she says.
She also recommends that retailers maintain strong, well-stocked displays with clear, simple signage to generate the greatest consumer response.
“Packaging that highlights convenience, variety and easy preparation can also help the product stand out,” Narron says. “We’ve seen value in offering consumers choices — from bulk sweetpotatoes to 3- and 5-pound bags, Steamables, microwave-ready options and tray packs.”
The goal is to make sweetpotatoes easy to find, easy to understand and easy to incorporate into everyday meals, she says.
How One Grocer Achieves Double-Digit Sweetpotato Growth
Secondary displays and regular ad features are just a couple of ways Northeast Shared Services is taking advantage of the increased popularity of sweetpotatoes.
Northeast Shared Services, which has New York headquarters in Buffalo and Schenectady, supports 275 locations of Market 32, Price Chopper and Tops supermarkets.
“Sweetpotatoes have been doing very well at all banners over the past few months and have seen more than double-digit gains,” Jeff Cady, vice president of produce and floral, said in late September.
“We are seeing growth even at times we are not promoting hot retails,” adds Kyle LeRoy, category business manager.
The stores routinely experience strong sales during the winter months, LeRoy says, but the double-digit growth has expanded into the fall and end-of-summer timeframe.
“The customer is shifting away towards sweetpotatoes for both nutritional purposes and also value,” LeRoy says.
Depending on layout, stores typically stock about two or three cases of sweetpotatoes, most of which are grown in North Carolina, on produce tables with other kinds of potatoes.
“When we put [sweetpotatoes] on display, we use our bulk displays at Tops or our front-bin grouping for Market 32/Price Chopper,” he says.
The stores carry the Covington variety year-round and try to add a purple sweetpotato around Thanksgiving “to offer the customer a little point of differentiation,” LeRoy says.
Sweetpotatoes are merchandised bulk and in 3-pound bags.
Bags were featured in a secondary display near the meat departments early this fall.
The stores feature sweetpotatoes on ad about once every four weeks, LeRoy says.
An ad feature results in a 20% to 30% sales lift, he says.
The company also has been working with the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission to feature sweetpotatoes in social media posts.
