The North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission is shifting into high gear to promote what is expected to be an ample, high-quality crop.
“We have been preparing for a few more acres planted than what we had last year,” said Michelle Grainger, executive director of the commission.
“Despite the extreme drought and floods experienced this season, we still expect that, but we are unsure of the resulting yield as harvest is just beginning,” she said.
Initial reports from the industry indicate the early harvested sweetpotatoes are looking great, she said.
Grainger said commission staff have planned for more than a year for its upcoming NC Sweetpotato Harvest Tour, which will include U.S.-based registered dietitians who represent different geographies and demographics throughout the country as well as communities and patients with a nutritional needs focus.
Additionally, she said the commission will be hosting representatives of both consumer and trade media and social media communicators from the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
“Our special guests will spend a full three days touring our state and industry from university sweetpotato research to [the North Carolina] Department of Agriculture, exploring the culinary scene of our state and how our humble root vegetable is easily elevated [and] visiting different agribusinesses who support our industry and, of course, many stops with numerous production and packing operations differing in scale and focus.”
Research and promoting
Grainger said the commission recently wrapped up a summer National Sweet Recipes Sweepstakes contest, conducted via social media.
The contest was designed to achieve consumer awareness of the versatility, year-round availability and affordability of North Carolina’s superfood, she said.
“In the end, we had over 2,900 entries from across the nation and representatives of all generations of consumers,” Grainger said. “Not only did it bring added traffic to our website, specifically our recipe section, but also our social media accounts. We partnered with numerous social media influencers who assisted us in awareness of the deliciousness of the NC sweetpotato and the many resources the NC Sweetpotato Commission has to offer.”
The winner will have the opportunity to travel to North Carolina to participate in a recipe photo shoot with the commission’s professional food photographer, along with many other contest perks, she said.
The commission has also contributed to retail research.
“We have invested in three pilot point-of-sale programs with three different retailers across the Eastern Seaboard,” Grainger said, adding that the programs could provide insights on raising the profile of the vegetable to consumers.
“These pilots were created to test the theory of, ‘if we intentionally partnered with specific retailers in unique programs to their brand, geographic location, customer demographics and promotional approach, would it change the volume of sweetpotatoes sold during a time in which sweetpotatoes are not typically top of mind by consumers?’” she said.
One pilot is complete, while the other two are ongoing. Grainger said all were expected to be completed by the end of September or early October.
