Albert Bartlett launches Rooster to US market
Scottish potato producer Albert Bartlett has teamed up with American supermarket chain Walmart, to supply its Rooster brand of potatoes.
In 2008 the company sent tissue culture from Scotland to North America and began multiplying the seed of the Rooster variety. Together with US partner MountainKing and other local US farmers, the company carried out extensive growing trials across the USA, and based on the results, focused initial production in Colorado and Idaho.
The Rooster range will be stocked in selected stores in Colorado and Georgia from this month onwards. It will be rolled out to stores in multiple states in 2013 when the company multiplies crop production and introduces new growing areas including California, Oregon and Washington.
“This is a very exciting time for Albert Bartlett, we have been working on the project for over four years and are confident that we can gain a strong and loyal following as we have done in the UK,” said Albert Bartlett USA vice-president for sales and marketing, John Hicks.
Scottish food and drink exports had risen by 60% in the past five years and exports to the USA increased by 30% last year, said Scottish Enterprise chief executive Lena Wilson.
“We’re working with more and more companies like Albert Bartlett and helping them to tap into the huge interest and enthusiasm by consumers around the world for the provenance of food and its heritage, origin and uniqueness.”