Green Thumb Farms has launched a program fall to discover and develop new potato varieties.
Called “Farmer’s First,” the program is designed to help retailers introduce new products and give consumers products that meet their needs, according to a news release.
The release said Green Thumb Farms, a 2,200-acre operation in Mount Washington Valley in Fryeburg, Maine, will partner with a retailer to identify a potato variety they think their customers will love.
The Farmer’s First program will allow retailers to track the success of specific varieties through sell rates and UPC codes, according to the release. In addition, Green Thumb will gather customer feedback,
“There has been a food revolution in Maine and around the world,” Mike Hart, director of sales and marketing at Green Thumb, said in the release. “We’ll always bring Cold River Gold, our signature potato to market, but we’re also committed to cultivating new varieties and driving innovation in the industry.”
For the first year of the program, Green Thumb partnered with Hannaford to develop the Queen Anne potato, a variety that’s new to Maine.
The variety, grown in Maine exclusively by Green Thumb Farms and sold only at Hannaford stores in New England, has a smooth, bright yellow skin that’s thin and resistant to bruising, according to the release.
While most yellow potatoes are round, the Queen Anne is oblong, which makes it a good variety for baking. While the variety doesn’t have the starch and sugar content to perform well in oil, the release said the Queen Anne produces an exceptional oven fry.
Two-pound bags of Queen Anne variety potatoes are now available through the holidays, according to the release, and recipes for the variety are available at the Green Thumb Farms website.
