The Potandon Story

Potandon Produce is the largest marketer of fresh potatoes and one of the largest marketers of onions in North America. Our roots originated in the R.T. French Company and subsequently The Pillsbury Company during the 1980's and early 1990's when Pillsbury had a fresh potato shed in Shelley, Idaho. In March 1995, Pillsbury agreed to spin off the fresh potato and onion sales division of the business. Potandon was created as the result of a management led buyout.

A critical component of the management buyout from Pillsbury was obtaining the exclusive licensing rights to the Green Giant® brand for fresh potatoes and onions. Green Giant is the most widely recognized consumer vegetable brand in North America and well known around the world. We have grown from one packing shed in Shelley, Idaho to the national leader today. In June 2002, we completed two strategic sales mergers that have strengthened our position as the national leader in the fresh potato industry.
First, we merged the sales and marketing activities from the Idaho Fresh Cooperative, (formerly Sunspiced of Idaho). IFC is a 70 grower cooperative with over 25,000 acres of potatoes and six packing sheds located throughout the Snake River Valley. A key part of the merger was obtaining the licensing rights of the Sunspiced brand. Sunspiced is a highly regarded brand name for both retail and foodservice.
Second, we merged the sales and marketing activities for High Country Potato, located in Rexburg, Idaho. By combining all the sales and marketing for all three companies, we have positioned ourselves as the nation's largest potato and onion player.

With these mergers, we are tied to over 45,000 acres of Idaho production and can utilize the benefits of six production sheds in Idaho. We now hold approximately 25% share of the Idaho potato market and 12% share of the total national potato market.
Two Washington grower/shippers merged with Potandon in June of 2005.  These two shippers, Harvest Fresh Produce in Othello and Balcom & Moe of Pasco, bring significant volume and excellent quality to the Potandon product line and have been long term suppliers and owners of Potandon Produce.
In January 2006, Potandon merged with Murakami Produce, the largest supplier of onions in the Idaho/Oregon region.  As the exclusive sales agent for Murakami Produce, Potandon has further strengthened its presence in onions with a high volume, high quality supply base.

Recently we have added Larsen Farms to the mix.  In October 2006, we merged the sales activities of Larsen into Potandon.

Outside of Idaho, we have established an extensive network of over 60 potato and onion co-packers in 24 states with another nine co-packers in Canada. In addition, we are involved in multiple joint venture growing areas and have several exclusive sales agreements. This flexible sourcing network throughout North America allows us to deal with weather, disease, transportation, quality issues, or any unanticipated spikes in demand.
With this co-packer network, we offer Red, White, Golden, and Russet potatoes on a year-round basis. We also have Red, Yellow, White, and Sweet onions available year-round. Vidalia onions are available on a seasonal basis only. Our unique sourcing structure allows us to supply any size retail, foodservice, or wholesale customer.

Potandon is continuously leading the way in the potato and onion categories in food safety. All of our packing facilities are Food Safety approved by the American Institute of Baking (AIB). Each facility is inspected annually and must comply with the strictest food safety regulations. We also have a full Quality Assurance Department that makes regular visits to all of our packing areas to inspect product.
We are also bringing new and innovative products to the market. In 2002, we introduced the Klondike Rose™ Red Skin Golden Potatoes. These unique potatoes have a red skin with a buttery yellow flesh. This new variety has consumers talking! Click to learn more about Klondike Rose™ Red Skin Golden Potatoes . Look for more innovative varieties from Potandon Produce and the Klondike family in the future!