BAKERSFIELD, CA - I’m in charge of the sweet potato dish during my family’s Thanksgiving and every year, I’m hard pressed to come up with a recipe that will top the last. As I, and other shoppers like me, look for holiday solutions at retail, it’s essential that the buy-side have a supply partner to deliver on demand. I caught up with Bako Sweet^®'s Prescott Leyba and Alexandra “Rae” Molumby to learn how the grower’s steam bags are driving sales.

“This is the biggest grocery shopping week of the year. Retailers know better than anybody the pressure in keeping things in stock and merchandised well. Secondary displays (i.e. shipper bins and racks) are great tools to ensure there is plenty of product on the floor at all times,” noted Prescott, Sales Account Manager.

He also noted that this year’s consumer purchasing behavior will more closely reflect a ‘typical’ Thanksgiving—a big shift from what the marketplace saw last year.

“That means there are going to be a lot of last-minute shoppers in the day or two before Thanksgiving that will be prioritizing convenience,” he explained.

One way to capitalize on this is to place Bako Sweet’s 14 oz sweet potatoes alongside the bulk sweet potatoes. Retailers can also cross merchandise with other grocery items like brown sugar and nuts to draw in those looking for sweet potato casserole ingredients.

Brian Penfield, Produce Director of Sendik’s Food Market, had glowing remarks regarding Bako Sweet’s offerings.

“I’m very happy with the level of service I get from the Bako Sweet team. At Sendik’s, we’ve seen great success in merchandising both the company’s bulk sweet potatoes with the value-added offerings. This gives our shoppers a variety of choices,” he shared with ANUK.

Optimizing a variety of marketing and merchandising strategies this holiday, Bako Sweet is ensuring that its steam bags are front and center in the shopper eye.

“We have our display bin with an appetizing recipe photo on the front, which retailers can place where they need to in order to drive sales in the produce department during this busy holiday season,” Rae remarked. “We’re also excited to be offering even more data insights into sweet potato sales and shopper demographics that we will have for retailers in 2022.”

The company’s digital advertising is also used to drive foot traffic to its Bako Sweet brand, utilizing calls to action such as “Shop Now” and linking it directly to the item listed on the retailer’s website. Additionally, Bako Sweet is inspiring shoppers with its new e-book and a social media giveaway.

“We are giving consumers a chance to win a year of FREE Bako Sweet sweet potatoes, a Cuisinart air fryer, and our new sweet potato lovers swag. It’s open to everyone in the industry as well! This year alone, we had a total of 15,354 consumers enter our giveaway promotions,” Rae noted.

Stick with AndNowUKnow as we continue to clue you in on what’s happening in the industry.

Bako Sweet®