Canadá: P.E.I new potato; Smilin Eyes Irish Gold
Johnny MacLean, a West Prince potato farmer, is hoping his specialty spud, which he named Smilin’ Eyes Irish Gold, will be a big hit in Island stores, and eventually make its way to the U.S. MacLean bought the exclusive.
PVMI handles licensing and royalty collection on potatoes on Washington, Oregon and Idaho potato varieties.
Executive director Jeanne Debons said MacLean submitted a marketing plan outlining why he should get an exclusive contract for Smilin’ Eyes in North America. The five-year contract cost $15,000, and PVMI charges a $1 per hundredweight royalty on the seed.
MacLean planted 100 acres of Smilin’ Eyes last spring and some stores in Prince County have just started selling Smilin’ Eyes.
MacLean said they cost a bit more than regular potatoes because they’re a specialty variety. He’s not sure how many acres of Smilin’ Eyes spuds he’ll plant next spring, saying it will depend on how sales go this winter.
MacLean has his eye on the U.S. market, especially in Boston and New York, where he says there are many people of Irish descent.
Source: cbc.ca
Fuente: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/154084/P.E.Is-new-potato-Smilin-Eyes-Irish-Gold
