News from the IPC "Consumer" category

Eagle, Idaho, August 13, 2019 – From ABC-TV’s popular morning show, Live with Kelly and Ryan to People magazine to USA Today, the Big Idaho® Potato Hotel made international news within hours of its launch on Earth Day.

Eight years ago, the 6-ton potato created by the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC), made headlines when it rolled out of Boise on a flat-bed trailer with a mission to promote Idaho’s most famous agricultural commodity, the Idaho® potato. After logging more than 200,000 miles on America’s highways and byways, it was time to retire the famous spud. A member of the Tater team that traveled with the Big Idaho® Potato Truck for two years, Kristie Wolfe, ingeniously transformed the sturdy tuber into a cozy Airbnb. It’s now permanently planted on an expansive field in South Boise with breathtaking views of the Owyhee Mountains.

Eagle, Idaho, August 1, 2019 – For eight years, the Big Idaho® Potato Truck, a 4-ton spud on wheels, has been turning heads and stopping folks in their tracks everywhere it goes. This summer, there’s another reason why people are taking a second look at the oversized vegetable. The Tater Team, the trio that travels with the Truck promoting famous Idaho® potatoes, is all women, including the driver. According to CNBC, only 6 percent of all truck drivers are female. So if you think a giant spud is a rare sighting, so is a female truck driver.

EAGLE, ID, July 31, 2019 – Two category leaders are spicing up both side dishes and produce sales with a new retail promotion for the 2019 holiday season. The Idaho Potato Commission and Litehouse®, Inc. are partnering on freestanding display units with coupon pads for the “Mix, Mash & Be Merry” promotion running from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. The coupon offers shoppers $1 off any Litehouse® freeze-dried herb with the purchase of a 5-pound bag of Idaho® potatoes. The shipper, billed as a holiday sides destination, features two cases each of four Litehouse®herb products: chives, garlic, parsley, and poultry herb blend.

Big Idaho® Potato Truck Kicks Off 2019 National Tour

Eagle, Idaho, April 22, 2019 – How do you dispose of a 6-ton spud made of steel, plaster and concrete? You don’t. You recycle it and turn it into the Big Idaho® Potato Hotel, the only potato hotel in the world! The 28-foot long, 12-foot wide and 11.5-foot tall potato is firmly planted in an expansive field in South Boise with breathtaking views of the Owyhee Mountains. Today the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) announced the opening of this unique retreat.

Eagle, Idaho, February 7, 2019 – February is the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) favorite month. Why? It’s American Heart Month and Potato Lovers Month, making it a great time to celebrate Idaho^® potatoes. 

In a recent national survey conducted by Kelton Research, consumers were asked to pick their favorite vegetable, and Idaho^® potatoes topped the chart! More than a quarter of Americans (26%) -- or nearly 68 million -- say Idaho^® potatoes are their favored choice over broccoli (19%), corn (14%) or leafy greens (14%).

Eagle, Idaho, January 4, 2019 – The competition was fierce, but the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) mascot, Spuddy Buddy was declared the #1 College Football Bowl Mascot by SBNation. Beating out other mascots like the New Mexico Bowl’s Gilden Shirt, the Belk Bowl’s Belkie the Bear and even the Chick-fil-A Cow at the Peach Bowl, the “overexcited, never-blinking humanoid potato” was the hands down winner. Per SBNation, “How could he not be No.1.”

Eagle, Idaho, December 27, 2018 – Freshman BYU quarterback Zach Wilson threw a perfect game against the Western Michigan Broncos on the blue turf at Albertsons Stadium during the 22nd annual Famous Idaho® Potato Bowl (FIPB). Wilson completed all 18 passes totaling 317 yards and threw four touchdowns setting a new single-game BYU record for completions. The BYU Cougars defeated the Western Michigan Broncos from the Mid-American Conference 49-18 in the country’s premier cold-weather college bowl game with close to 20,000 folks in the stands and two million fans around the country watching it live on ESPN.

Boise, Idaho, November 8, 2018 – Members of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) recently elected Jamie Bowen, Marketing Manager for the Idaho Potato Commission, to serve on the Board of Directors at its 62^nd annual conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. Bowen will serve a two-year term on the IFEC Board.

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) kicked off another year of exciting marketing activations by launching one of its two new television commercials during ESPN’s live broadcast of the Boise State University (BSU) versus Oklahoma State University (OSU) football game on Saturday, September 15th. The IPC is a longtime sponsor of BSU and has made it a tradition to debut its new commercial during a nationally televised game. 

Eagle, Idaho, August 21, 2018 – The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is thrilled to announce the launch of its redesigned website with more mobile-friendly formats, scroll features, modified layouts and a load-on-demand feature. With over 2 million views in the last 12 months, it's very important to the IPC that consumers have a seamless experience on the IPC site.