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U.S. couple gets engaged with purple sweet potatoes at retail store

A consumer interaction involving purple sweet potatoes highlights product visibility in retail environments in the U.S.

Dr. Dawn Mussallem, following a heart transplant and cancer treatment, regularly consumed purple sweet potatoes as part of her diet. In October 2023, while purchasing the product at Whole Foods Market, she was approached by David Doll in the produce section.

"I had just walked out of the emergency department at Mayo Clinic on a Sunday afternoon, and I walked into a love story I never saw coming," Mussallem said. "I did not plan to fall in love that day. I planned to buy groceries."

The interaction led to continued contact, with the pair later entering a relationship. The initial meeting took place near a display of Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes.

When planning a proposal, Doll worked with Frieda's LLC, a produce supplier, to create a themed presentation using purple sweet potatoes. The company provided a box of product with custom labels including "Will you marry me?" along with additional items.

The proposal took place at a private residence on March 12. According to Doll, "I urged Dawn to inspect the box again, and when she opened it, she saw all of the glorious purple sweet potatoes, but didn't read the stickers. So I had to urge her AGAIN to look inside the box. At that point, I dropped to a knee, ready to propose, when she finally read the stickers on the potatoes and turned around in excitement."

Mussallem stated: "It was perfect in the way that matters most — intentional, spontaneous, [and] deeply personal."

The product also plays a role in dietary routines. Mussallem noted that purple sweet potatoes are "one of the richest whole food sources of anthocyanins," specifically "acylated anthocyanins," which are stable during cooking and digestion.

"As a 25-year stage IV cancer survivor, a heart transplant patient and a physician, I do not eat casually. I eat to support my body," she said. "Every food choice is an opportunity to either resource my biology or burden it."

She added, "But the fullest answer is this — I also eat them because they are where my love story began. And joy is not separate from healing. The research on this is just as clear. It is part of it."

Source: People

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