The humble potato. This staple food has been around for more than 300 years in the United States and continues to be one of the best-selling produce items in grocery stores across the country. For most people, buying 5 lbs. of sturdy russets or buttery Yukon Golds means picking up the familiar see-through plastic bags that most pre-packaged potatoes are sold in.
But in our present eco-forward time, is there a way to make this purchase more sustainable and earth-friendly? Is there a way to ditch the plastic bag? Yes. And Vee’s Marketing has done it. Enter Brown Bag Potatoes – a potato option packaged in a 100 percent compostable and recyclable bag.
Vee’s Marketing was created in Wisconsin in 1990 as a way to help support a growing family. Today, the founder’s son and current owner and president, Jason Vee, has taken the reins of his father’s business, and with the help of potato expert, John Alstrup, has a vision to lead the produce industry through innovative thinking and personable relationships.
Vee and Alstrup realize that in a world of consumer packaged goods, the times are changing and the demand for sustainable packaging is growing. Plastic bags are heavily used in the produce industry, which leads to landfill waste and environmental destruction. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s plastic specific data report, plastics alone account for more than 18 percent of all landfill waste.
It makes the decision clear. The time is ripe for a new way to rethink packaging produce.
That’s why Vee’s Marketing has created the Brown Bag Potatoes brand packaging which is both eco-friendly and completely compostable (including the glue and ink made from vegetables).
In addition to providing buyers with an eco-conscious option, Vee’s also provides the utmost value and service. “The biggest value to a buyer is making their life easier,” says Vee. “Buying in itself is a hard job and buyers often feel underappreciated.”
Brown Bag Potatoes is ready to set a new standard in the industry and reinvent the way people think about packaging fresh produce. The heart of the company’s mission has always been to provide value, and they are doing it in an inventive and revolutionary new way. Gone with the old standard plastic and in with the new – earth-friendly paper.