As MountainKing Potatoes readies grocers for the fall delivery of its popular Butter Russets, the Texas-based company for the first time will offer the gourmet variety in two new package types: all-new four-count trays ideal for introducing the high-flavor item to new shoppers and sizeable ten-pounds bags for larger gatherings.
“We’ve seen strong movement in our four packs of traditional russets and we’re expecting similar results with the new four packs of our Butter Russets,” says Andreas Trettin, MountainKing director of marketing.
Preferred by chefs and culinary experts in blind trials, MountainKing’s Butter Russets present the look of a traditional russet with a natural, buttery flavor ideal for baking, mashing and frying, explains Trettin.
MountainKing has stepped up production of its Butter Russets, he adds, as the company prepares for the heightened demand for the variety driven largely by millennial shoppers who prefer smaller-sized packaged items such as the four-count tray packs.
Sales of the company’s four-pack russet tray packs have boosted overall russet sales by as much as 13 percent in some retailers.
Nationwide, sales of four-pack russets are up 18.7% over the 52-week period ending June 13, 2021, according to the research firm IRI.
MountainKing will continue to offer its Butter Russets in five-pound bags. Both the five and new 10-pound bags will include Kwik Lok recipe tags featuring Butter Russet recipes designed to bring out the best of the variety’s flavor and texture. The company also is producing high-graphic bin displays and integrated social media campaigns to support the Butter Russet roll out.
The unique variety, with its yellow creamy texture, was first developed by the Dutch in the early 1980s. MountainKing later commercialized the variety and branded it as Butter Russets.
