‘It is high time to start thinking differently’

‘At HZPC, we’ve long been pondering the question of how we, as the potato branch, can change the long-term traditional image potatoes have had into a more progressive one. In Western countries, the consumer usually stands before the supermarket shelf and chooses the potatoes he wants to eat in three seconds flat. He buys just one bag of potatoes and uses them for all kinds of different potato dishes. This is often not a problem, but sometimes the consumer is also disappointed. And what will he/she buy the next time? I’m convinced that we must tell the consumer in a clear fashion that not all potatoes are the same. We must teach him that there are differences, differences in preparation, in taste, but also in the perception of eating a potato. Well, it’s high time to start thinking differently. How? In an extensive interview, Herman Verveld, HZPC’s Commercial Director and Retail Fresh Sector Manager explains what this new thinking exactly means.