TRADE AND MARKETING story and that’s a great experience. I mainly want to show the sector that there are new opportunities to market a product. Everything is possible if you’re creative and show daring. A fine example is a cardboard box with around 2 kilos of baby potatoes of three, differentcoloured varieties that’s on sale for 8 euros. Instead of making a problem of the fact that the tubers are small as a result of early-haulm destruction due to Phytophthora, Van den Dries just prepares them as baby potatoes for the EXTRA ACTIVITIES During the period that the Potato Boutique was open, Van den Dries organised a wide range of activities. For example, Professor Edith Lammerts van Bueren revealed the secrets of potato breeding. In addition, food historian Lizet Kruyff focused on the culinary history of the potato and well-known chef Jonathan Karpathios prepared a complete potato dinner for sixty guests. And vegetableand-potato mash (stamppot) king Werner Drent was there to show people how to prepare this typically-Dutch dish. Debate needs more promotion The Critical Students Foundation also organised a true potato debate during which Agrico Director Jan van Hoogen, Olaf Borgers of Greenacker, Ineke Stijger of Wageningen University and organic grower Michiel Vos, known for the Bionica variety, all shed light on ‘the power of the potato eater’. Unfortunately, only the inner circle from the sector attended this event so that the discussion with the consumer couldn’t really be held. An important conclusion from the debate was that the potato needs to be promoted more. The sector should tell more stories to the consumer about the versatility of the potato like Van den Dries did in his Potato Boutique. oven. ‘You must think in solutions, which includes trying out new things’, is his conviction. Personal approach is important Does Van den Dries want to make this initiative permanent? He hasn’t got an answer to that yet. ‘Companies like Marqt, but also a small packaging company like Leo de Kock have been round to see what we’re doing. During the fortnight we were doing this, we sold over 2,000 kilograms of potatoes. At this moment, it’s financially not yet possible to have someone permanently in the shop. Whether we’ll repeat the Pop Up Shop or travel around, are all considerations we’re still having to work out. During the fortnight we were open this year, we already received various repeat purchases. A shop needn’t be open every day; you can also open only during weekends. What’s really important is that we continue to provide an explanation about the origin of the potatoes and how they were produced. And we continue to help people choose the right variety for the right kind of dish. What’s also fantastic is that I received a serious request to move to London with our Pop Up shop. ● Jaap Delleman It was mainly the inner circle from the sector that attended the potato debate. Potato World 2015 • number 1 7 Pagina 6
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