HOUSTON, TX - MountainKing is bolstering its operations to get ahead and stay on top of the explosive growth and demand blowing up the small-sized potato category. This week, the potato provider announced it has acquired a Colorado packing facility in the San Luis Valley. MountainKing’s new Hooper-based facility will be dedicated exclusively to its popular fingerlings and new “baby” versions of its yellow and red potatoes.

Part of the small-sized potato category’s growth is rising consumer demand for matching small-sized packaging. In the last 52-week reporting period, potato packages sized four pounds and under grew 5 percent in unit sales and 7 percent in dollar sales, according to IRI. Small bags, 4 lbs and under, also accounted for a quarter of all unit sales scanned. In fact, small packages are the second-largest dollar contributor to the category at $606 million.

As a result of this growth and market demand, the new MountainKing facility will package the company’s fingerlings in 1.5 lb and 5 lb bags and baby yellows, baby reds, and combination baby medleys in 1.5 lb see-through mesh bags that have been designed to extend product shelf life and appeal to younger shoppers, according to a press release.

In addition, MountainKing’s third Colorado facility will allow the company to pack directly from the source while expanding its reach to more U.S. markets. Specifically, MountainKing is continuing to establish a network of LTL options and forward distribution hubs for customers that cannot order full truckloads.

Lastly, the new facility will also help the Texas-based company combine smaller potatoes on mixer loads from its other Colorado packing sheds.

To stay on top of all produce happenings as they occur, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

MountainKing