The potato market is changing. Decreasing consumption figures cause worry for parties in the sector, but Ad Loogman of commercial enterprise AC Loogman in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, sees opportunities. He doesn’t just see a decreasing line in consumption, but a change in demand. For organic and culinary potatoes, for instance, the market is growing slowly but steadily.
After a good import season, the switch to the first Dutch harvest was more difficult. While the first Dutch Dorés and Frieslanders had already been harvested, some growers were still trying to market the old harvest as well. Ad also had to disappoint growers, because customers had already completely switched to the new harvest, and there was no longer a market for the old potatoes.
Tasty and cheap
He prefers not to look back on the previous season, which had “dramatic prices” for growers. “That shouldn’t happen another year. It’s important this season goes well for growers.” Whether the growers will receive a better price can’t be predicted yet in the final week of June. “The potatoes first have to be put in storage, so that we can see how full the market is.”
No matter how the harvest ends up, Ad mostly sees opportunities in the potato sector. “Potatoes are a tasty and cheap food, that’s why I don’t see any threats for the sector,” Ad says. The impact of climate change, for example, will be limited. “Potatoes are also grown in Spain, so why shouldn’t we be able to grow them when it becomes hotter here?” Organic and culinary potatoes are two product groups showing growth.
Organic and culinary potatoes
“The market for organic potatoes grows a bit every year,” Ad says. The Dutch company has had organic potatoes in their range for 25 years now. Over the years, the market has grown slowly but steadily. “We were one of the first in the Netherlands to start with organic potatoes.” The company started on the wholesaler’s market of Amsterdam in 1953. In the following decades, the company grew, and two years ago, a new company building just outside of Amsterdam was taken into use. The company now doesn’t just have an ideal location near motorways, they also have 3,500 square metres of work space. The potatoes are sorted, cleaned and packed here.
The market is shifting more and more clearly towards smaller packaging. “Packaging of one kilo, 750 grammes or 500 grammes,” Ad sums up some examples of smaller packaging. “We can also shift between these.” Larger packaging of 2.5 to 5 kilos are naturally also available. Although the trend for small packaging is often connected to decreasing consumption figures of potatoes, that’s not quite the whole story. “The smaller packaging are mostly the result of the extensive choice of food we have nowadays, and not because consumers don’t want to eat potatoes anymore,” Ad explains.
Within the potato segment, there are also products that show a gradual growth. This is the case for culinary potatoes, for instance, although this product has a specific target audience. “Immigrant people in the Netherlands don’t often use culinary potatoes, but Dutch consumers are somewhat more critical and want to have more choices.” Communication plays an important part in the presentation of these culinary potatoes. “There’s a lot of choice in supermarkets, so it has to be a good product.” Besides, it’s important to communicate about the variety and its uses via the packaging. “These potatoes are always part of the waxy potato segment.”
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AC Loogman
Ad Loogman