Potato Grower

Kettle Brand growers are spread across the country. Some are as close as an hour's drive from the company's headquarters in Salem, Ore., while others are thousands of miles away. • Allied Potato, Pasco, Wash. • Baley-Trotman Farms, Malin, Ore. • Bula-Gieringer Farms, Coloma, Wis. • Burch Farms, Faison, N.C. • Castle Rock Farms, Boardman, Ore. • Gold Dust Potato Processors, Malin, Ore. • Heartland Farms, Hancock, Wis. • JD Ranch, Sauvie Island, Ore. • Kirschenmann Farms, Bakersfield, Calif. • Mehlenbacher Farms, Burbank, Wash. • Miedema Produce, Hudsonville, Mich. • Mortenson Bros., Plainfield, Wis. • Oneida Potato Exchange, Rhinelander, Wis. • Sackett Potatoes, Mecosta, Mich. • Schmieding Produce, Springdale, Ark. • Thaemert Farms, Quincy, Wash. • Torkelson Bros., Grafton, N.D. • Walther Farms, Three Rivers, Mich. • David Fazio: "Our goal at this farm is to grow a quality product for this communi- ty." • Brian Kirschenmann: "I'm trying to build the next generation of farmers. It takes a younger generation [to succeed]: people who think differently and embrace technology." • Richard Pavelski: "We may not be relat- ed by blood, but we're related by sweat." Balzer says Kettle's growers have been not only cooperative, but enthusiastic about sharing their stories with their consumer base. Kettle sends a camera crew to each farm to interview farm ownership and staff and to explore the properties, captur- ing it all with special 360-degree cameras. The 360-degree videos are then posted to the Tater Tracker website and Kettle Brand's YouTube channel. "We've invested in these long-term part- nerships with our growers, many of whom have been with us for years," says Balzer. "Tater Tracker helps our consumers get to know these great farmers—these great people—who have committed their liveli- hoods to helping us make the best-tasting potatoes. It also gives them a look at what life on a potato farm is really like." The response from Kettle fans, says Bal- zer, has been fantastic. A steady stream of consumers who expect transparency and who are increasingly interested in where their food comes from continue to visit the Tater Tracker website and send in ques- tions about Kettle's growers. "Interest in transparency relates to the food industry as a whole, not just to the snack sector," says Balzer. "As ingredient quality and provenance grow in impor- tance to consumers, traceability is a logi- cal step. We're excited to be able to offer this level of transparency to our consum- ers." With products originating from such hon- est, salt-of-the-earth beginnings as some of the best farms on the planet, there's every reason to be excited about sharing their stories. Heartland Farms' Jeremie Pavelski calls the Wisconsin-based operation "a family of families." 22 POTATO GROWER | AUGUST 2018

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