The value of the potato
At Lamb Weston we work together with our partners to optimize our different potato types for quality frozen potato products.
Quality frozen potato products
With the world around us getting ever more complex, there is an urgent need for transparency. Customers want to know where their food comes from and whether it’s sustainable. At Lamb Weston, we’re not only a leading supplier of frozen potato products, we also help you with the challenges coming your way. Thanks to continuous research, we can anticipate future changes in the market, regulations, and climate. As your partner, we’ll keep you in the loop and fill you in about relevant developments in the Foodservice industry, so that you can keep making your customers happy and get yourself and your Foodservice business to thrive. Let’s do it together, because as partners, we’ll thrive.
The best possible potato from field to fork
To create quality products, you need quality raw materials. In our case, our most valued asset is the potato, a sustainable and versatile crop with endless potential. To be able to optimise that potential, we share our knowledge and work with our farmers, partners, and customers, to create the best possible potato from field to fork. We work with different types of potato, which need to have the right length, weight, colour, and composition for the product they’re to become. With our research projects and quality tests, we never stop optimising our potatoes. Some of them are destined to become long, crunchy fries, whereas other types of potatoes have a unique taste and texture, making them perfect for our beloved wedges. Together, we manage every step of the way, from our humble potatoes to our stellar fries. All so you can serve your customers consistent, high-quality products.
Creating different potato types
In mid-February, our potatoes are planted and the potato season starts. It then lasts till early October, when the last potato is harvested. More than 600 farmers work with us, to grow around 15 different potato types, each of which have a unique shape, structure, and composition.
Together with our farmers, we invest in ways to optimise our potato. By cultivating our crop, we can reduce waste and labour costs and cut down on the use of pesticides and water. That way, our potato becomes even more sustainable. Each of these cultivated potato types eventually has the optimum flavour, shape and components for one of our products. Optimisation contributes to an efficient production process and ensures the highest-quality frozen potato products. As we continuously work on our potatoes, we also work on optimising their nutrient profile, just as we’ve promised in our commitment to a balanced diet. The result? Tasty and healthy menu options made from proudly grown potatoes!
TIP!
Embrace natural ingredients
With people turning back more and more to natural and organic food, a potato is one of the most natural ingredients out there. Our fries make for guilt-free indulgence, but if you really want to stand out, how you approach your menu can make a difference. Think about how your menu items contribute to people’s health, comfort, or the environment as a whole. Use natural preparation methods and pick ingredients that require less processing. A creative approach will come naturally!
Want to know more about the roots of our potato? We’ll show you!
Sustainability in the process
Since the Spaniards brought the first potatoes to Europe, the world has changed a lot, and so have our production and processing methods. Our efforts to optimise our processes to make them more efficient and sustainable are clear evidence of our passion for the potato.
Our factories, for instance, are located close to our farming areas to allow us to grow, process and package our frozen potato products locally. But we also care about a sustainable relationship with our farmers, partners and suppliers, as they help us to innovate by developing tools for managing storage, for instance, and finding a way to reuse our wastewater.
After accomplishing most of our sustainability goals for 2020, we’ve now also made commitments for 2030 to reduce food waste, improve our nutrient profile, and reduce our environmental footprint. We care about the impact we have on people and the planet and help each other to create a more sustainable future, such as by using less and better packaging. We do our part, so you can serve your guests the guilt-free indulgence they demand!
TIP!
Read our blog on how a sustainable mindset can benefit your restaurant business.
Transparency in your Foodservice business
Insight in the latest trends can really help your business. Customers crave authentic and honest food, whether it’s a baked potato or a family recipe: you need to have your story straight.
Transparency in your Foodservice business doesn’t only revolve around sustainable food products, but also depends on how you present them to your customers on your menu, in your service, and on packaging. By using ingredients with honest origins, you can be open about your sources. Your customers will appreciate it!
TIP!
Packaging with a message
Three steps for transparent communication on your pre-packaged food items.
- Inform: Inform and educate your (potential) customers by communicating about every aspect of your product. Make important information stand out to prevent information overload.
- Be clear: Transparency shouldn’t be hard to understand: use terms that your customers are familiar with and put it on your (sustainable) packaging in a legible way.
- Be picky: Packaging communication doesn’t only come down to words, materials and design also play a part. It pays off to invest in the look & feel that best suits your brand and message.
Want to know more about how your business can profit from transparency? Download our trend report now!
At Lamb Weston, we’ll help you turn challenges into opportunities. As Your Partner in Potatoes, we’ll provide you with tools, tips, and tricks that will help you create the best experience for your customers. Together, we’ll make your business thrive!
More on the latest trends, tips on how to optimise your business, and solid advice from professionals in the field? Sign up now for our free Eat This! Magazine!, or download our latest edition, which is all about entrepreneurship!