Potato Expo is Back! That was the consensus for a well-attended, pulsating 2023 rendition of the trade show

By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater

The largest potato industry event in North America, the National Potato Council’s annual Potato Expo had something to prove—it could bounce back from a worldwide pandemic as strongly as ever, and the 2023 edition in Aurora, Colorado, January 4-5, did just that and more.

With 750 exhibitors and more than 1,800 attendees, the sold-out show was the largest Potato Expo ever held outside of Las Vegas, a far cry from the past couple years when COVID-19 did its best to keep the industry at bay.

Potatoes USA took full advantage of the opportunity to keep up tradition and hold its Annual Winter Meeting at the Gaylord Rockies Resort &

Convention Center, venue of the 2023 Potato Expo.

In addition to board meetings, roundtables give the research, domestic marketing, international marketing, industry outreach, administrative and research advisory committees a platform to report on their programs, successes, and challenges.

Among other takeaways from the Potatoes USA Winter Meeting are that consumers are willing to spend more for a meal with potatoes, which remain a low-cost food item and maintain 83% menu penetration, with that number rising.

Potatoes USA marketing team members and chefs R.J. Harvey and Vince Armada work with foodservice operators to conduct workshops and off-site food innovation sessions, as well as demonstrations in the Spud Lab located within the organization’s Denver office.

The Winter meeting covered all Potatoes USA social media and website initiatives; consumer, foodservice, and retail programs; “Potatoes: Real Food, Real Performance” health and fitness outreach; potato nutrition; research trials; and efforts to combat negative press about potatoes and communicate as well as educate people about the food they eat.

Above: Jared Balcom (center), president of the National Potato Council Board of Directors, cuts a ribbon to signify the official opening of the 2023 Potato Expo in Aurora, Colorado, January 4-5.

2023 POTATO BUSINESS SUMMIT

Cedric Porter, editor and owner of the respected World Potato Markets newsletter, not only gave a presentation during the International Marketing Committee Meeting, but also at the 2023 Potato Business Summit held Wednesday, January 4, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort.

A joint effort of the United Potato Growers of America, United Potato Growers of Canada, and Potato Marketing Association of America, the Potato Business Summit is a comprehensive economic and market analysis of the global and North American potato industry.

This year’s Potato Business Summit included an Economic Outlook presented by Stephen Nicholson of Rabobank; a European Market Update by Porter; a Consumer Market Overview from Kim Breshears of Potatoes USA; and a Fresh Potato Market Outlook presented by United Potato Growers of America President Mark Klompien.

Klompien noted, “The Potato Business Summit started 17 years ago with 35 people in a back room, and we will probably have over 450 people in attendance here today. We have attendees from 34 U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces and five European countries, and researchers from all segments of the potato industry.”

Brett Showalter of John Deere gave a Farming Technology Outlook, and continued on pg. 24

Potato Expo is Back!. . . continued from pg. 23

J.R. Simplot’s Bret Nedrow provided a Frozen Potato Market Update.

Among topics discussed were the war in Ukraine and its effects on inflation and world trade, soil health, biologicals and sustainability, China, food security, commodity margins, the 2023 Farm Bill, global weather concerns, cost of production, and grower returns.

The packed Expo Hall, open from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, hosted not only exhibitors from around the world, but also Breakout Sessions at the Innovation Hub, Potato Talks, and Potato Association of America Poster Sessions.

POTATO COOK-OFF’s

Increasing in popularity are culinary competitions such as Wednesday’s “Instant Pot-ato Cooking Challenge” hosted by Chef Harvey of Potatoes USA and Simon Majumdar, worldrenowned broadcaster, food writer, author, cook and Food Network judge and television personality.

Thursday’s “This Spud’s for You— Celebrity Chef Edition” took place on the Expo stage and was hosted by Ted

Allen, Emmy Award-winning host of the Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior.”

Other hosts included Harvey, Majumdar, Duff Goldman, a pastry chef, Food Network personality and cookbook author, and Jason Morse, owner of Executive Chef and 5280 Culinary, and a national spokesperson, and grilling and barbecue expert for ACE Hardware stores.

Inquiring minds wanting to know had many Potato Talks and Breakout Sessions to attend on a variety of