By Anthony Brino
Staff Writer
BDN photo/Matt Wi
In this 2011 file photo, an employee inspects sealed packages of mashed potatoes as they zip past at Naturally Potatoes in Mars Hill. June 8, 2011.
MARS HILL, Maine — Fresh off a multimillion-dollar expansion, Pineland Farms Potato Company is entering a pretty big retail market.
In about one month, Pineland Farms Potato Company’s mashed potatoes will be available at 28 Sam’s Club stores in the Northeast, under a new deal spurred in part by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ interest in helping the Maine-based food company with business ventures.
“This new partnership will help us continue to create jobs for young men and women across Aroostook County,” Rodney McCrum, president and COO of Pineland Farms Potato Co., said in a news release issued by the senator’s office Thursday. “Thanks to Senator Collins’ idea about increasing our distribution through Sam’s Club and introduction to Sam’s Club, Pineland Farms potato products caught the eye of this prominent national food chain.”
Pineland’s Mars Hill plant makes a range of mashed potato products already sold in several grocery store and in restaurant chains, including Applebee’s. Earlier this year, it completed a $7.5 million expansion, adding warehouse and refrigeration space.
Collins is being credited with helping germinate the deal with Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. She “helped to facilitate a meeting” between McCrum and Rosalind Brewer, Sam’s Club president and CEO.
“Clearly, with this notable contract, Pineland Farms has once again proven the value and quality of its products,” Collins said in the release. “Pineland Farms products showcase the best of Maine — all-natural ingredients and small-scale agriculture. This contract will not only help support good jobs in Maine but also will allow families across New England to enjoy Pineland Farms products.”
For now, the deal is limited to Pineland’s mashed potatoes and won’t include the company’s cheese.
