Alternative channels open new opportunities for U.S. frozen potato products

Farm and Ranch Report October 13, 2010 When an overseas market, like fast-food service in Japan, becomes pretty saturated with U.S frozen potato products, the U.S. Potato Board looks for new opportunities in the market. Susan Weller, an International Marketing Manager with the Potato Board, says these are called alternative channels. In fiscal year 2010 14 alternative channels were tapped.

Weller: “For example, in Japan we really hadn‘t worked in the pizza delivery area, so we had some really great success in Japan in pizza delivery, whereas Korea last year we hit a bakery café‘, which is kind of a new and upcoming industry for food service as well as a toast and sandwich kiosk, which we hadn‘t worked in before. And in previous years we have done really well on on-line shopping networks.”

Weller says this approach is working. Take the bakery café in Korea. It started with one new U.S. frozen potato product, at 30 stores. Two more new products were added.

Weller: “So they have been expanding their products from a few stores to 18-hundred stores and also different products.”

That’s the U.S. Potato Update. Brought to you by the United States Potato Board, maximizing return on grower investment. I’m Bob Hoff for Northwest Aginfo Net.