"The Little Potato Company"

"The Little Potato Company" SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 30-1-27 As the name suggests, "The Little Potato Company" focuses on producing small potatoes but the specialty market it serves is continuing to grow, according to managing director Angela Santiago. She says the company currently sells 4,000 tons per year of the potatoes that range between 3/4 in. and 1 5/8 in. in diameter. Anything larger is treated as culls. The company serves both wholesale and retail markets, including the restaurant trade. It's the only company in North America specializing in growing small potatoes, Santiago says, "Gourmet quality potatoes." It's also actively pursuing the development and enhancement of small potato varieties by working closely with Solanum International, a potato breeding and development company focusing on specialty potato varieties. Company research shows that busy, sophisticated, urban consumers like baby potatoes. "Because they're small, they cook quickly, and they're easy to prepare - there's no peeling required," Santiago says. "They're also perfect for diet conscious people who want nutrition and taste, but not bulk. Our small 2 lb. bag is perfect for one or two meal sittings." The company also markets a 1 1/2-lb. and a 5-lb. bag. The Little Potato Company began operations in 1998, by planting about 130 acres of seed, which yielded 1.5 million lbs. The next year, they doubled their acreage, and they now grow 1,000 acres of gourmet potatoes. Twenty-five full time employees work in the plant and the office consists of nine full time people. "We harvest with European machinery specifically designed for small potatoes. It handles the potatoes very gently, to minimize bruising and scarring. This is important for gourmet cooks, because one of the advantages of clean, well-formed small potatoes is that they are often served whole, without peeling," Santiago says. The company's washing and packaging equipment is state of the art, and the final product is stringently monitored for size and quality. She says they manage their inventory for maximum freshness - in such a way that the potatoes are kept in on-farm cold storage right up until one week or less before delivery to retailers. Orders are typically filled within 48 hours. They grow a colorful and diverse collection of potato varieties including: yellows (Bintje, Baby Boomer and Piccolo), reds (Red Baby Boomer), blues (All Blue, a.k.a. Russian Blue), and a variety of weirdly shaped and colored exotics (sold to restaurants only). These exotics include: Banana Fingerling (a.k.a. Russian Fingerling), Pink Fir Apple, French Fingerling, and All Red. "Our product is available year round, with the exception of our organic and exotic lines," Santiago says. "Those are only available from October to mid-January because they don't store as well." Santiago says the company's 2-lb. bags sell for an average retail price that's between $3.49 and $3.99. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, The Little Potato Company, Angela Santiago, 11720 170th St., Edmonton, Alta., Canada (ph 780 414-6075; fax 780 960-2020; info@littlepotatoes.com, www.little potatoes.com).

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