Latest News from the IPC

According to trend guru Andrew Freeman*, customers will see “haute homey” dishes–highbrow versions of classic comfort foods–on menus across the country in 2014. It’s a prediction the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) can support wholeheartedly, since signature potato soups are a popular standby on winter menus. If the soup is served with a side of hearty potato bread, so much the better!

Over one hundred and thirty content marketing executives gathered at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on November 12th for the tenth annual Custom Content Council Pearl Awards ceremony. Competing against custom content creators and agencies from 13 different countries representing brands such as Coca-Cola, Ford, Walmart, Whole Foods Market and GEICO, the Idaho Potato Commission, in conjunction with Plate magazine, took home top honors in the Best Achievement of Corporate Objectives–B2B Strategy for its annual Chef’s Calendar.

Just in time for the holidays, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) launched Russet Recipe Rescue, an opportunity for consumers to lighten up of their favorite Idaho® potato recipes and win supermarket gift cards and fresh Idaho® potatoes.

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) announced the appointment of three new Commissioners who will each serve a three-year term. Peggy Grover, from BenchMark Potato in Rexburg; Ritchey Toevs, a grower residing in Aberdeen; and Tommy Brown from Lamb Weston in Pocatello were formally sworn in at the IPC’s October commission meeting in Sun Valley. The Commissioners were nominated by industry peers and selected by Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter.

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) steps up its game this fall with the signing of broadcast journalist and Idaho resident Heather Cox, who is best known for her sideline reporting at college football games nationwide. Heather will add Idaho® potatoes to her line up of news coverage throughout the college football season, producing a total of ten :40 videos that announce breaking news and consumer promotions from the IPC.

Zooming in on the well-known “Grown in Idaho” logo for an eye-catching retail trade campaign, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) took home top honors for the sixth straight year in the 2013 Produce Business Marketing Excellence Awards. “What’s Wrong With This Picture?” applied the iconic “Grown in Idaho” logo to a variety of exotic fruits and vegetables, visually reinforcing the powerful link between the name Idaho and the state’s flagship product.

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) realizes that costing out a menu is no easy task. So, they’ve developed a number of useful tools to take the guesswork out of purchasing the right Idaho® potato. From carton to plate, operators can rely on the IPC Size Guide, Virtual Plate Sizing Guide (compares plate coverage of 50-count, 60-count and 70-count potatoes), and handy Cost Per Serving chart to specify the perfect Idaho® potato for their needs.

As the $186 million-plus fresh potato export market continues to grow an average of 9 percent annually, the Idaho Potato Commission has stepped up its global marketing efforts with the addition of Traci Hiebert as the new IPC international marketing director.

The Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) recipe photo contest has already received dozens of entries from cooking and photography enthusiasts vying to win $500 cash prizes. Participants are invited to visit http://recipes.idahopotato.com/enter-our-recipe-photo-contest/ to enter for at least one of ten opportunities to win. Submissions will be accepted until August 29 and winners announced the week of September 2.

This month the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) will launch the Big Idaho® Potato Truck #iTuber sweepstakes, offering fans of Idaho® potatoes four chances to win an Apple iPad. Participating fans can enter to win on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by tagging #iTuber and answering a deliciously simple question: What’s your favorite way to eat Idaho® potatoes?