Page 6C
44TH ANNUAL HERMISTON FARM FAIR
East Oregonian
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Meet the makers of
Idaho’s biggest potatoes
PHOTOS COURTESY OF POTANDON PRODUCE
Potandon Produce has released a new CarbSmart potato,
developed with lower carbohydrate levels. Offi cials say the
product is an example of new choices in the fresh category
helping to strengthen fresh-potato sales.
Low-carb spud latest
innovation in fresh
potato category
By JOHN O’CONNELL
EO Media Group
By JOHN O’CONNELL
EO Media Group
P
otandon Produce has released a new potato variety
making a counterintuitive marketing claim for a
starchy vegetable.
The Idaho Falls-based company unveiled its fi rst
low-carbohydrate potato Oct. 19 during the Produce Mar-
keting Association’s Fresh Summit convention in New Or-
leans. Potandon boasts its CarbSmart potato has 55 percent
fewer carbohydrates than rice or pasta.
Ralph Schwartz, the company’s vice president of sales,
marketing and innovation, believes the product will con-
tinue a recent trend of convenient, colorful and innovative
specialty products strengthening sales in the long-stagnant
fresh potato category.
“We’ve been working on it for several years,” Schwartz
said, explaining this is the pilot for what could become a
broader line of potatoes bred for specifi c health attributes.
It’s no accident that Potandon bred a yellow-skinned,
yellow-fl eshed variety for its fi rst CarbSmart release.
Schwartz explained yel-
low potatoes have en-
joyed steady sales growth
for the past eight years
— perhaps because U.S.
demographics are chang-
ing, and yellow potatoes
may be more similar to
spuds found in many oth-
er countries.
Schwartz also noted
that mini fresh potatoes
have become trendy,
growing from about 11
percent of category dol-
lars two years ago to
roughly 15 percent today.
“Because
they’re
growing, everybody is
focusing almost 100 per-
cent of their marketing and advertising dollars on (minis),”
Schwartz said.
Potato industry leaders say they’re cautiously optimistic
about new Nielsen sales numbers for August, purchased by
Potatoes USA, which show gains in all potato categories,
including a second consecutive month of growth in fresh
sales. The fresh sales volume increased by 1.3 percent from
August of 2016, and the sales value rose 2.8 percent.
By volume, sales of fi ngerlings were up nearly 23 per-
cent, with yellow sales up more than 13 percent, russets up
0.7 percent, reds up 0.6 percent and other specialty types up
by nearly 15 percent.
“The fact that we saw two months in a row where sales
of all products — fresh potatoes and also fresh-cut, frozen,
dehydrated and deli — were all up is positive,” said John
Toaspern, chief marketing offi cer with Potatoes USA. “It’s
a sense that the market is doing well, that as we diversify
into various different parts of the store people are still buy-
ing potatoes, and fresh potatoes, as well.”
Toaspern cautioned that the industry shouldn’t put too
much stock in eight weeks of data, and he’ll draw fi rmer
conclusions once numbers are released for the end of the
year.
“I do think one of the things helping the (fresh) cate-
gory is the fact that there are so many different and new
products being offered,” Toaspern said. “We’ve got more
fi ngerlings, we’ve got more easy-preparation products, and
a lot of different products are out there that appeal to differ-
ent consumers.”
W
EISER, Idaho — Chris and
Sharolyn Schofi eld have
carved a unique niche in the
art world — making colossal sculptures
of Idaho Russet Burbank potatoes.
Though the Weiser couple has thus
far avoided the spotlight, their creations
are recognized nationwide.
Tens of thousands of onlookers wit-
ness the dropping of their giant, glowing
potato in downtown Boise each New
Year’s Eve. And the 6-ton spud they cre-
ated for the Idaho Potato Commission’s
Great Big Idaho Potato Truck has trav-
eled about 150,000 miles, visiting 7,200
cities while promoting the Idaho brand.
The Schofi elds — founders of Scho-
fi eld Design — are building their fourth
giant potato. It is a replacement for the
IPC’s original oversized traveling tuber.
The IPC introduced the truck in 2011 to
celebrate its 75th anniversary, planning
on a single tour but keeping it on the
road ever since, based on its popularity.
IPC President and CEO Frank Muir
initially worried the truck would be
“hokey” if the potato wasn’t convincing.
Instead, Muir believes it’s become part
of “American pop culture.” He said peo-
ple often drive hours for the chance to
see the truck.
“One of the testaments to their ability
to create authentic art is that the No. 1
question wherever the truck drives is, ‘Is
it real?’” Muir said. “The fact that people
would even think a 12,000-pound potato
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHAROLYN SCHOFIELD
Chris and Sharolyn Schofi eld in front of
the giant potato they built for the Idaho
Potato Commission’s Great Big Idaho
Potato Truck. The couple is building a
replacement potato for the truck.
is real is amazing.”
Sharolyn is a certifi ed structural
welder. Chris grew up in the construc-
tion trade and has taken sculpting class-
es. He’s experienced in building indoor
climbing walls and used a similar con-
struction approach to make IPC’s fi rst
potato. The Schofi elds took the best
features from several large Idaho spuds
Muir sent them to make a composite
design. Based on their sketch, they fab-
ricated metal ribs, which they welded
together and covered with plywood,
and then foam, which Chris cut into a
potato shape. They then covered the ex-
terior with a thin layer of polymerized
concrete. They developed a specialized
trough to make the russet “skin,” used
concrete dye for color and protected the
sculpture with a sealant.
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“We’re pretty critical of our proj-
ects,” Sharolyn said. “We want things to
look just right.”
A hidden door at the front of the po-
tato allows the truck crew to access the
interior for storage.
Over the years, the potato has sus-
tained damage from overhanging
branches, frequent cracks caused by road
vibrations and even boot prints made by
NASA astronauts who stood on it during
a parade. The Schofi elds made a repair
kit and trained the truck’s crew to make
on-the-road fi xes. They give the potato a
major touch-up following each national
trek.
“In the beginning, it was just another
job, but it’s been six years and it’s got a
special place in our family,” Chris said.
“We have our heart and soul in this one,
and when we see it go, we’re sad.”
For the New Year’s Eve Potato drop,
the Schofi elds created a low-budget
foam model, which they later replaced
with a fi berglass version for greater lon-
gevity.
IPC’s next potato will also be made
of fi berglass, cutting out about half the
weight.
They’re taking measurements from
the original potato so the new spud
will fi t perfectly into a square frame,
mounted on springs, that Sharolyn de-
signed and welded to affi x the spud to
the truck’s fl atbed. Special LED lighting
on the truck will illuminate the new spud
during night parades. The potato should
be fi nished by March, in time for the
truck’s next tour.
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