St. Patrick’s Day brings a well-rounded need for produce across the table and, as the Irish say, “Two people shorten the road.” So we reached out to industry experts to see how we could cut down your path to boosted St. Patrick’s Day sales, be it Irish potato bread, Shepherd’s Pie loaded with veggies, or the classic corned beef and cabbage...

Christine Lindner
National Sales
Alsum Farms

"St. Patrick’s Day celebrates all things Irish, and there’s no better way to share the ‘luck of the Irish’ with your family and friends than with a potato-inspired dish to accompany your corned beef and cabbage dinner. To me, red potatoes and St. Patrick’s Day are synonymous. In fact, red potato volume is 40 percent greater in March than the average of other months, according to Nielsen FreshFacts. Red potatoes add color to the plate and are a versatile vegetable. For a unique twist and added flavor, Chipotle and Lime Roasted Potatoes are a favorite. This recipe adds a burst of flavor. Simple but satisfying, this roasted red potato recipe is a quick and easy addition to any St. Paddy’s Day celebration."

Kellen Stailey
Vice President of Marketing
Grimmway Farms

"A great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in-store is with secondary displays highlighting traditional, Irish-inspired ingredients like green cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, cross-merchandised with corned beef or brisket proteins. To add some colorful fun to your display, play up the ‘end of the rainbow’ theme with rainbow baby carrots or rainbow radishes."

David Roby
Brand Manager
Domex SuperFresh® Growers

"This is a great time of year to keep New Year’s resolutions going while keeping that splash of festive green font-of-mind during St. Patrick’s Day promotions. While folks may not typically associate apples with St. Patrick’s Day, I find that the produce staples associated with specific holidays have become more fluid and diverse. Enter Granny Smith apples. I love Granny Smith Kale Smoothies, and this simple delight is a great opportunity for a store recipe tasting at retail. This bright green smoothie is super nutritious thanks to the Granny Smith apple and kale. It’s also super sweet-tasting without any refined sugar. It’s a win-win! We love making this quick and easy smoothie for breakfast, after-school treat, or post-workout. Add a little cinnamon to give it that extra boost."

Ernst van Eeghen
VP of Business Development
Church Brothers

"Cabbage continues to be a very popular vegetable and we’ve seen double-digit growth over the past three years. Our overall cabbage sales are fairly consistent throughout the year, but there definitely are a few spikes with the two weeks leading into St. Patrick’s Day as the most prominent one. The item seems to have gained some momentum in the foodservice industry and is making its way into more versatile dishes than just coleslaw. Our Napa Slaw is a very popular item with many of our customers—this Chinese cabbage is more delicate, sweeter, crunchier, and a little juicier than the traditional green cabbage. Napa Slaw is very versatile and can be used as an upscale addition to your normal coleslaw but, also, it can be used as a topping for tacos, flatbreads, soups, and pizza. Our Napa Slaw also includes some green cabbage, carrots, and red cabbage, and delivers a very delicate and sweet flavor."

Lindsey Roberts
Marketing Manager
Monterey Mushrooms

"For shoppers who are in the mood for a hearty, savory comfort-food classic, Shepherd’s Pie can be made even more delicious with the addition of mushrooms. Shepherd’s Pie is a delicious combo of ground lamb that has been cooked with carrots, sweet green peas, and corn. The lamb mixture is then topped with a crust of creamy mashed potatoes. Consumers will love how easy and convenient this dish is. It can be made a day in advance, which makes dinner prep easier. For even more speed, we recommend they use Monterey Mushroom’s Let’s Blend™ finely diced mushrooms for an extra pop of umami flavor."

Leah Halverson
Director of Business Development
Black Gold Farms

"We would like to encourage retailers to think of RED as the new color of St. Patrick’s Day! While the color green may be synonymous with the holiday, red potatoes are already part of everyone’s St. Patrick’s Day feast—regardless if they’re Irish or not. The sales numbers show it—red potato volume is 40 percent greater in March than the average of other months during 1H (Nielsen FreshFacts data, 2015).

The only thing that could make red potato sales even stronger in March is to make St. Patrick’s celebrations last longer than the holiday hangover. That is just what Black Gold Farms is going to do…by promoting red potatoes as the lucky charm for turning leftovers into a week of great meals! We will help retailers to tantalize their shoppers—and drive greater red potato purchases—with delicious Corned Beef & Red Potato Hash leftovers that can be turned into Top O’ The Mornin’ Muffins or O’Leary’s Leftover Pizza and even Irish Egg Rolls. Even better, by encouraging shoppers to enjoy more St. Patrick’s Day-themed leftovers, retailers will not only move more red potatoes, but to sell more of other produce categories such as cabbage, carrots, and onions."