U.S. sweetpotato consumption continues to climb as more consumers discover the category’s taste, versatility and nutrition benefits.
Per capita sweetpotato consumption has nearly doubled since 2002, when it averaged 3.7 pounds per person, according to the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission.
As grower-shippers reached the halfway point of their 2025 storage crop, most said they’re in good shape to handle continuing demand even after experiencing strong sales early in the year.
Vick Family Farms
At Wilson, N.C.-based Vick Family Farms, partner Charlotte Vick reported in early March that sales were on track to keep customers supplied until the new crop is harvested in the fall.
“Our additional storage facility we put in last fall has really helped us ensure we have supply for our customer’s needs,” she says.
Quality of this season’s crop has been very good, so it’s helping to relieve some of the pressure from the increased sales of the past few months, Vick says.
Covington is the company’s leading variety, and the firm strives to provide sweetpotatoes year-round, she adds.
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Nash Produce
Nashville, N.C.-based Nash Produce LLC can store 3.2 million bushels of sweetpotatoes in climate-controlled storage, says Robin Narron, marketing director.
“Nash Produce plans to have sweetpotatoes available year-round,” she says. “Thanks to our curing process and climate-controlled storage, we are able to store large volumes of sweetpotatoes after harvest and ship them to customers throughout the year.”
The popular Covington sweetpotato is the company’s primary variety, but Nash Produce also grows specialty varieties, such as Murasaki, which has a purple skin and white flesh with a slightly nutty flavor; and bonita, a white-fleshed sweetpotato with a mild, sweet taste, Narron says.
Matthews Ridgeview Farms
Quality of the storage crop from Matthews Ridgeview Farms, Wynne, Ark., is excellent, says Jaylie Lourens, who handles sales and marketing.
“We had a very pretty crop, and the potatoes are holding up well in storage,” she says. Volume has been moving quickly because of strong customer demand.
“At this pace we expect to move through the crop and have just enough to carry us into the new crop,” Lourens says.
Climate-controlled storage facilities enable the company to maintain firm, high-quality sweetpotatoes and supply customers year-round, she adds.
Matthews Ridgeview Farms primarily grows Beauregard sweetpotatoes, Lourens says, but the company continues to trial and grow smaller volumes of other varieties, such as Orleans and a newer variety called Avoyelles.
“We are currently looking at some Murasaki types as well,” she says.
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A.V. Thomas Produce
The storage crop that runs from November to the end of July from Livingston, Calif.-based A.V. Thomas Produce is holding up well, says Jeremy Fookes, director of sales, but the company likely will run out of some of its specialty varieties, “some by demand and some by choice,” he adds.
Some specialty sweetpotatoes can’t be stored long term, Fookes says.
“Those will be seasonal opportunity selections that will be marketed more for winter, not for spring-summer,” Fookes says.
Specialty varieties, especially purple ones, are experiencing growing interest from consumers as well as retailers, he says.
Examples are Ben Yagi, Stokes Purple, Murasaki and okinawa.
The company sources okinawa sweetpotatoes from Hawaii, where they grow better than they do in California.
Murasaki sweetpotatoes have risen to prominence in the produce department over the past two years, Fookes says.
Pack Options
Sweetpotato suppliers feature a variety of packaging options. At Vick Family Farms that means a range of packs that includes bulk, individual microwavable sweetpotatoes, steamer bags, 3- and 5-pound bags, tray packs and processing grades, Vick says.
About 70% of the company’s sweetpotatoes are sold in bulk cartons, and the remainder come in consumer packs.
The No. 1 seller at Matthews Ridgeview Farms remains the traditional 40-pound bulk carton, Lourens says.
In addition, the company offers several consumer-friendly options including microwave-ready sweetpotatoes, tray packs, 3-pound bags and 5-pound bags.
“We are able to accommodate a variety of packaging needs depending on customer preferences,” she adds.
About 65% of the firm’s sweetpotatoes are sold in bulk 40-pound cartons, with the remaining 35% in consumer packaging.
“We expect that percentage to approach closer to 40% in the future,” Lourens says.
Nash Produce offers a wide range of consumer packaging options to meet the needs of its retail partners, Narron says.
These include various traditional bulk pack sizes, mesh bags, steamable bags, individual microwavable potatoes, and tray packs designed for convenience and merchandising flexibility, she says.
“We also work closely with retailers to develop custom packaging and private label programs that fit their specific merchandising strategies,” Narron adds.
A.V. Thomas packs about half of its sweetpotatoes in consumers packaging, Fookes says. Breathable mesh bags are the company’s primary consumer pack.
“That’s the best vehicle for shelf life of the product, breathability, visibility of the product,” he says.
Other options include ready-to-eat sweetpotatoes, individually wrapped microwavable sweetpotatoes and steamer bags.
