vvvegco trade

Overheard at Portobello Road Market’s Festival of British Roots in January:
“No-butter baker? I can’t eat a baked potato without butter or cheese!”
“Rudolph’s so creamy you can enjoy it just as it is – try it!”
“I can’t believe it…you’re right, these are really creamy!”

Since our last update on Trading Talk, The Very Very Veg Co’s bright red skin and white flesh Rudolph potato has featured at a couple of A-list veg events in the capital, and its unconventional good looks and great taste have won new fans at both venues.

The first event took place at New Covent Garden Market overnight on 20th and 21st January. As the current star of the Unearthed Treasures brand, the Very Very Veg Co team was keen to show off Rudolph’s roasting prowess, but especially its unique claim to fame as ‘the no-butter baker’.

Clare Dixon from The Very Very Veg Co marketing team says things got off to a quiet start at the stall on Buyers’ Walk, “but as the smell of Rudolph Parmesan Roasties wafted into the air, market traders and visitors seemed to appear from nowhere!” She calculated that around 150 hungry veg vendors tucked into roasties and baked potato wedges by the time market activity peaked around 5.00 am.

“We got an overwhelmingly positive response,” Clare says, noting several on-the-spot conversions when sceptics tried the jacket version and agreed that no butter was necessary. To round off a successful night, stockists S. Thorogood & Sons placed an order for a pallet of 1.5kg bags.

Rudolph goes to Portobello Road

In fact, several New Covent Garden traders were spotted at the Very Very Veg Co stand a week or so later at Portobello Road Market’s Festival of British Roots (29-30 January). In spite of wet and cold weather, the weekend event attracted a high foot count, clad in everything from Gucci to Ugg.

Soon the aroma of Rudolph jacket potatoes was mingling with more exotic whiffs of paella, chorizo sausage and fresh-fried churros doughnuts, an exotic mix reflecting London’s many cultures and visitors from abroad enjoying familiar or new flavours.

Again, the response to Rudolph was surprise and enthusiasm for its ‘I can’t believe there’s no butter’ qualities. Brand Manager Laura Allen says that over 1300 stallholders and visitors sampled the Rudolph jacket potatoes.

“I’ll be off to buy some at the market, because my customers really liked it,” was one stallholder’s response. This was echoed by many traders who sold Rudolph well over the two days of the event, and planned to reorder the following week.

We’ll sign off this update with the recipe for Rudolph Parmesan Roasties as served at New Covent Garden Market. See for yourself what all the fuss was about!

Rudolph Parmesan Roasties:

Ingredients:
1kg Rudolph potatoes
1tsp flour
50g grated Parmesan cheese
Sprig of rosemary, stalk removed and needles finely chopped
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil to cover base of roasting tin

Preheat the oven to 220°c/Gas Mark 7.
Cut 1kg of Rudolph potatoes into quarters and place in boiling water. Simmer for 2 mins and then drain.
Mix the flour, nutmeg, Parmesan, rosemary and salt & pepper in a bowl.
Tumble the potatoes in the mix until evenly coated.
Heat a good glug of oil in a roasting tin for 5 minutes, then add the potatoes, ensuring all are nicely coated in oil.
Cook for 40 minutes, turning once, until the potatoes are golden and crispy.

Enjoy!

With the original market providing produce to London’s finest establishments since the 13th century, New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) is still the capital’s VIP lounge for veg, with around 40 per cent of all the city’s fresh fruit and veg eaten outside the home bought here.

Relocated to Nine Elms in Vauxhall in 1974, ‘London’s Larder’ covers 57 acres, employs almost 3000 people and is home to over 230 individual businesses with a combined turnover of PDS606m in 2008.

Much of the produce sold at NCGM goes to the catering sector. Some of London’s top chefs hunt through the 180 different varieties of veg on offer, seeking inspiration at wholesalers including ‘The Mushroom Man’, ‘Cooks’ Cuisine’ and ‘Cream of the Crop’ for the special ingredient that could help create their new signature dish.

Creative people love to be surprised by something new and chefs are no exception. So we’re hoping that the Rudolph potato, The Very Very Veg Co’s current star in its Unearthed Treasures range, will be wowing visitors to its promotional stand on NCGM’s Buyers’ Walk this week. With its vivid red skin and creamy-textured white interior, as well as its all-round excellence, Rudolph could be just what savvy stallholders and curious cooks are looking for.

On the stand, we’ll be preparing and serving baked jacket potatoes (look, no butter!) and sizzling, savoury Parmesan-tumbled Roasties. We’re also offering free samples of Rudolph potatoes so that enthusiasts can experiment with their own favourite recipes.

E-flyers have been sent to market tenants and members of the South East Food Group, inviting them to visit us on January 20th, from 11.00 pm through to 7.00 am on 21st.

Finally, look out for S. Thorogood and Sons; they are the wholesalers stocking a range of Rudolph potatoes. Choose from a 15kg box of Bakers, a 5kg bag of Mids or the Rudolph Catering Pack of ten 1.5kg bags.

Once visitors have had a chance to put Rudolph through its paces for taste and performance, we’re confident it’s going to gallop into the VIP veg charts!

With more than 5,500 visitors making the rounds of over 130 stands, the recent Potato Show in Harrogate was a dynamic showcase for the industry. And that made it the perfect venue for the launch of Fenmarc’s new branded veg range, The Very Very Veg Co.

To complement the launch, we’ve created this Trading Talk page on the Fenmarc website to keep you up to date with the issues, challenges and innovations in fresh veg marketing. The Potato Show gave us plenty to think about!

While there was a lot of energy and interest from farmers and growers at the Show, several remarked on low farm gate prices this year.

Potato Council figures show the estimated crop planted area in 2009 remains the same as 2008. However, in some parts of Great Britain favourable growing conditions have led to a higher than expected yield particularly in the eastern counties.

‘Excessive rainfall in Scotland and western England has had a detrimental effect on crops, while in the eastern counties, it has been too dry,’ said a Potato Council spokesperson. ‘This is leading to a considerable variability in yields and quality across Great Britain. Average farm gate prices are lower than last year [at an average of just 59p*], but the best quality crops are carrying a premium,’ she said.

Raising the profile of potatoes with consumers is seen as a vital ingredient in achieving healthier demand and higher prices. As a result, the Potato Council featured several bright initiatives at the Show. Ellie King, Marketing and PR Executive at the Potato Council, and one of the team behind online personalities ‘The Potato Girls’ is excited about the possibilities of giving humble potatoes the star treatment she thinks they deserve:

‘Potato Council research has revealed that pre and young families under-index on potatoes; in fact housewives aged over 45 account for 66% of the fresh potato spend. That’s why winning the support of the younger generation and introducing consumers to potatoes at an early age is key to securing the long term future of the industry.’

With this in mind, the Council’s ‘Love Potatoes’ marketing campaign has been touring the country. The team has also launched social networking pages on twitter and Facebook, this year to help spread the message.

King believes that branding is another powerful way to boost the sector, and applauds Fenmarc’s move into branded veg.

Fenmarc Director Gary Crickmore feels that retailers are becoming more receptive to the benefits of stocking branded veg: “Brands raise awareness, enthusiasm and knowledge within categories, complementing own-label ranges and stimulating overall growth.” With recipe ideas on pack and online, and hints for proper storage and prep, Crickmore says the brand also provides a great vehicle for launching more unusual varieties and prepared fresh veg lines.

The Very Very Veg Co journey has already begun. Its Rudolph potatoes, headlining its ‘Unearthed Treasures’ sub-brand of unique varieties, are now being carried by Nisa-affiliated retailers, and the ‘Everyday Favourites’ Stew Pack is in Iceland Foods.

‘Bringing the vegetable aisle to life is what The Very Very Veg Co is all about,’ says Crickmore, ‘so we’ve got plenty of competitions and sampling opportunities lined up to support the brand.’

*Based on TNS data 4wks w/e 04 Oct 09