Six Ways to Grow Potato Sales

Retailers can boost sales with variety, displays and smart promotions.

Food historians say there’s no specific origin story to the mid-20th-century phrase “meat and potatoes.” However, the saying’s meaning is clearly defined — “of fundamental importance,” “basic,” and regarding food, “simple fare,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

“Potatoes are a cornerstone of our produce department and a household essential for our customers,” says Pamela Tiger, fresh manager at the Palm Coast, FL-located Winn-Dixie, one of over 400 stores in this Jacksonville, FL-headquartered chain, which is a subsidiary of Southeastern Grocery.

And that cornerstone was spotlighted when the store’s produce manager, Marco Alvarez, earned one of three grand prizes for his display in the Idaho Potato Commission’s 2025 Potato Lovers Month Retail Display Contest, a national competition that had over 1,700 entries.

The potato category represented 11.6% of the volume of the top 20 produce items that Circana reports on for the 52 weeks ending June 15, 2025, according to data shared by Potatoes USA, the Denver, CO-headquartered national marketing and research organization.

Plus, taters have continued to outperform other staple vegetables, like onions, tomatoes and carrots, in volume sales over the past three years, moving more pounds than any other vegetable. In the past three years, the volume of potatoes has remained consistently higher than in 2019, indicating potatoes’ staying power on consumer plates.

Trends driving the potato category include versatility and health, according to Nick Bartelme, global retail development manager for Potatoes USA. “Potatoes are valued as a real, natural food, nutrient-dense, and satisfying, ranking as America’s favorite vegetable for the ninth consecutive year. Sixty-six percent of consumers say potatoes are ‘fuel for body and brain,’ and 68% associate them with sustained energy.”

1. SPICE SALES WITH VARIETY

Shoppers find a large selection of potatoes at Robért Fresh Market and Lakeview Grocery, based in New Orleans, LA.

“Baking potatoes are a big seller in the category. We’ll move more cases of baking potatoes than all the 5-pound bags combined,” says Terry Esteve, produce and floral director for the six-store chain. “Bagged baby potatoes and bagged fingerling potatoes have taken over the 5-pound red and 5-pound gold potatoes, with a smaller bag size and more suitable for recipes and roasting. These will probably pass 5-pound russets here soon.”

Nationwide, russet-type potatoes remain king of the category, says Les Alderete, general manager of the Center, CO-based Skyline Potato Company, a major player in the state’s fresh market potato business. “Most consumers are now looking for medium-sized russets, 70- to 80-count.”

Alderete says Colorado’s high altitudes, soil, and cold nights with warm days produce high-quality potatoes, and “also offers a freight advantage to markets we most often ship to in the Midwest, Texas and the Southeast.”

Russets comprised over half (60.6%) of the fresh potato category market share for the 52 weeks ending June 29, 2025, based on data supplied by Potatoes USA. Yellow potatoes rank second with a 15.4% share, followed by red (9.3%), petite (5.1%), white (3.6%), medley (1.1%), fingerling (0.1%), and purple (0.01%).

Notable changes from the year prior are a decline in reds by 26.1% and a bump in petites by 47.7%.\

“The demand for reds has waned, and yellows have been increasing relative to reds,” says Kevin Olson, president of Becker, MN-based Ben Holmes Potatoes, which ships russets, reds, and yellows nine months of the year as far south as Florida and Texas.

Petite potatoes satisfy shoppers looking for convenience, according to Kathleen Triou, president and chief executive officer of Newport Beach, CA-based Fresh Solutions Network, LLC, which sells petite red, yellow, purple, fingerling, medley, and a combo of red and yellow potatoes under its Side Delights brand. “These shoppers want to put dinner on the table in 15 minutes or less. This includes preparing them in appliances like air fryers.”

2. ADD ORGANIC SKUS

Organically grown potatoes continue to be an alternative that consumers gravitate toward, says Ken Gray, fourth-generation vice president of sales and marketing for the Bushwick Potato Commission in Woodbury, NY. “Production of organics has increased, and the quality continues to improve every year.”

Organic potatoes made up 2.3% of total U.S. fresh potatoes sales during the 52 weeks ending June 29, 2025, based on Potatoes USA-provided data.

“We’re seeing growth in our smaller organic pack sizes, particularly 1.5-pound baby potatoes,” says Jessica Congdon, category marketing manager, potatoes, RPE Inc., in Bancroft, WI, which buys organic potatoes from growers, such as Cal-Organic Farms, in Bakersfield, CA.

“A best-in-class potato set should include organic options — even in a limited assortment — because organic remains top of mind for many shoppers, and research shows that when organic consumers don’t find what they’re looking for, they often don’t substitute; they simply leave the category or seek alternatives elsewhere.”

3. PICK THE RIGHT PACKAGING

One-third (33.6%) of potatoes sold at retail are fresh, with 87% sold in a bag, and 10.7% sold in bulk, based on data shared by Potatoes USA. Of bagged potatoes, 5-pound bags represented 54.3% of market share, with 10-pounders (24.7%), 1-2 pounders (7.2%), 2-4-pounders (6.9%), and 8-pounders (5.4%) making up the rest.

“Fewer shoppers want 10-pound bags today,” says Kevin Stanger, president of the Wada Farms Marketing Group, LLC, in Idaho Falls, ID. “We pack almost all 5-pounders and have sold smaller pack sizes like 3 pounds.”

The company will introduce a new burlap bag for russets this fall with a photo of Marilyn Monroe and tagged with “irresistible.” The theme ties into a famous 1951 photoshoot featuring the American actress and model posing in a dress made from a burlap potato sack.

However, with cuts upcoming to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) affecting an estimated 5 million people, there could be a revival in demand for larger packs like 10-pounders, says Ross Johnson, vice president of retail and international for the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC), in Eagle, ID. “Potatoes are a value, nutritious and satiating. I also think there may be a resurgence in 10-pound bags at a time of the year it makes sense, like the holidays.”

As for construction, the top-selling packaging in the potato category is the Fresh Mesh Combo bag, according to Victoria Lopez, marketing and business development manager for Fox Packaging & Fox Solutions, in McAllen, TX.

“Across the industry, there’s a visible shift toward eco-friendly packaging driven by both regulation and consumer demand,” says Lopez. “We’ve rolled out film options containing up to 30% PCR in both clear and opaque versions, even for heavier bags up to five pounds.”

Packaging also must protect potatoes, she adds. “For light-sensitive varieties, especially those prone to greening, exposure to UV and visible light can trigger solanine development, compromising flavor and shortening shelf life. Our Fox Combo Ultra Shield tackles this head-on with a dual-layer film that blocks light.”

4. CREATE EYE-CATCHING DISPLAYS

Having a fresh, well-uniformed, and merchandised potato category with point-of-sale recipe ideas, educational signage on storage and preparation of fresh potatoes is key to increasing sales of potatoes at retail, says Christine Lindner, marketing manager at Alsum Farms & Produce, Inc., in Friesland, WI. “We eat with our eyes, and attractive displays will help maximize potato category profit margins.”

One of the best examples of this is the award-winning displays built for the IPC’s Idaho Potato Lover’s Month Contest. For example, Alvarez at Winn-Dixie built a “Potato Farm” display, measuring approximately 12 feet by 6 feet, which remained up for two weeks.

Designed to evoke the charm of a rustic farm, the display featured themed balloons of farm animals and equipment, along with the integration of Idaho potato bags and boxes as structural and decorative elements. In total, the display incorporated more than 80 cases of potatoes, including 40 cases of 5-pound russet potatoes, 20 cases of Klondike varieties, 16 cases of Green Giant One Step potatoes, and six cases of instant potatoes.

Brian Castleberry, produce manager at the Crescent Springs, KY-location of Remke Markets, also entered. Remke Markets is a five-store chain that’s part of the Fresh Encounter family of companies in Ohio, Indiana, and northern Kentucky, which joined SpartanNash last year.

“My theme was the Wizard of Oz, i.e., ‘I don’t think we’re in Idaho anymore,’” says Castleberry. “This was about 8 feet wide, with a backdrop of the Emerald City, with bagged potatoes, and a yellow brick road made of bulk yellow Idaho potatoes. The display was in the center of the produce department for two weeks.

“From this year’s display, I learned that the potato category is an easy sale for our store, and having a good selection of fresh Idaho potatoes is a great item for our customers.”

There are three key display-building messages in Potatoes USA’s 2024 Merchandising Best Practices Study, conducted by IRI. One, have a dedicated 15-foot display space. Two, include eight different potato types and offer a mix of pack sizes. Three, the use of endcaps, secondary displays, signage, nutrition messaging, and recipe inspiration about usage occasions can drive incremental sales.

“If retailers adopted these top-performing merchandising tactics, they could achieve a nearly 12% increase in potato volume sales,” says Potato USA’s Bartelme.

5. BUILD BASKET RINGS

Potatoes are a basket builder, says the IPC’s Johnson. “Shoppers purchase additional recipe or meal ingredients at the same time, which can double the value.”

For example, during crawfish season, which runs from mid-January to most of June, Robért Fresh Market and Lakeview Grocery will build secondary displays with the 3-pound bagged red and gold B potatoes, fingerling potatoes, and fingerling sweet potatoes “because the demand is five times higher while in season,” Esteve notes.

Tried and true ideas for cross-merchandising potatoes include pairing them with onions and garlic, as nearly every potato-based dish contains these ingredients, says Brunswick Potato Commission’s Gray. “Cheese and crispy bacon bits as baked potato toppings are an easy upsell, and butter, sour cream, and chives are a classic combo.”

Trendier ideas, Gray adds, include potatoes and air fryer liners. “This offers huge Gen Z/Millennial appeal. Call out in signage, ‘Crispy in 10 Minutes — Air Fryer Friendly!’

Global flavor zones offer another approach, such as Indian-style potatoes with masala and potatoes with kielbasa, which are popular in Eastern Europe, Gray says. And you can also cross-merchandise a barbecue kit — potatoes, foil, barbecue rubs and corn on the cob.

6. PROMOTE BY PRICE & BEYOND

Because of the current economic climate, Esteve says they keep the 5-pound bagged russets on an everyday low-price program because they are so versatile. “Most of the time, we’ll keep the retail between $1.99 and 2 for $5 and advertise them once a month for $1.69.”

Place higher-ring, value-added potato items at the beginning of the potato display, suggests Alsum Farms & Produce’s Lindner. “This will encourage consumers to try new offerings while picking up budget-friendly or on-ad pantry staples of 5- and 10-pound bags of russets.”

Successful potato promotions go beyond just lowering the price.

“It’s about creating excitement and driving variety trial,” says RPE’s Congdon. “Retailers don’t need deep discounts to drive potato sales; smart promotions can boost volume and protect margin. Best-in-class tactics include featuring multiple varieties, limiting discounts to under 25%, using ‘X FOR’ pricing, and leveraging seasonal tie-ins. The goal is to highlight value, versatility, and relevance — not just price.”