Favorable growing conditions should help Potandon Produce LLC begin harvesting Arizona red potatoes earlier than usual this year.
Pinto Creek Co. LLC in Eloy, Ariz., plans to begin harvesting May 4.
Growing conditions have been good this year and production remains ahead of schedule, according to a news release from the Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Potandon, which markets for Pinto.
Harvest for red potatoes is scheduled to begin the week of May 4, with yellow and mini potato varieties beginning harvest in mid-May, according to the release.
The new crop potatoes are planned to become available in Potandon’s Idaho Falls distribution facility about a week after the scheduled start dates, according to the release.
New this season, Potandon plans to ship the potatoes in consumer bags with a redesigned “Grown in Arizona” Quik-Lok tag.
“Our Arizona customers enthusiastically responded to the local call-out, and with so many consumers asking about the origins of their food, it made perfect sense to move ahead with this program nationally,” Bernie Pavlock, Potandon’s business development director, said in a news release.
Located in south-central Arizona, Pinto is a Primus-certified facility employing a full-time quality assurance staffer.
During the last five years, the company has improved packing operations by adding a new storage facility as well as state-of-the-art grading and sizing equipment, according to the release.
Potandon is the exclusive North American marketer of Green Giant Fresh potatoes and onions.
Source: The Packer