As a keen runner, Bryan Hart doesn’t bother with commercial energy gels when he’s training for a half marathon – he boils a potato, sprinkles it with salt and it provides the perfect fuel.

“I put it in a ziplock bag and two hours into the run I have that,” says Bryan. “It’s better than a banana – packed with nutrients, including potassium which is good for electrolytes and reducing cramp, it’s easily digestible and a lot cheaper than buying energy gels.”

Fuelling his running isn’t Bryan’s only reason to be passionate about potatoes. He’s been involved with growing them for much of his life

Raised on a farm in Northland, where his family farmed sheep and beef and grew potatoes and kiwifruit, he gained a Bachelor of Horticultural Science degree and worked as a consultant in New Zealand and the United States.

Twelve years ago, he joined major vegetable growing business AS Wilcox and Sons in Pukekohe, where he is now General Manager of Growing Operations.

The fourth generation family business, established in the 1930s, supplies fresh potatoes and other vegetables countrywide.

Bryan’s passion for potatoes is well known throughout the sector – from driving research to address disease issues and lift productivity to promoting the industry to the next generation of growers.

“I like potatoes because they are very relatable,” he says. “’What is your favourite potato’ could be an icebreaker at any barbecue – most people have an opinion.

“It’s something that is very grass roots; it’s a good healthy affordable food for the family dinner table – which I really like.

“It’s also great for the environment. It takes only about 20 per cent of the amount of water to produce a kilo of potatoes as it does to produce a kilo of rice. So it is five times more efficient in terms of water use and much more nutrient-dense.

“Globally, there is the big question of how we are going to feed a growing population and potatoes have to be part of that solution.”

Bryan says not only are potatoes economical with moisture in a world increasingly concerned about availability of water, advances in growing methods have made them ever-more efficient and sustainable to produce.

“The biggest changes I have seen are around efficiency. Seeds are planted with GPS technology and you can see exactly where they are and place the fertiliser very precisely. We now have sensors to track the soil moisture and nutrient demands.

“We have precision spraying and crop protection systems. Previously, spraying might have been seasonal but now we can leave it unless there is evidence of pest pressure, so it is now very efficient from that perspective.”

The other major change he has seen is the vast increase in choice.

“It’s exciting that there is now so much more diversity in the offering. Twenty years ago, it was really just ‘white potatoes’ but now we have white, gold, red, purple, big and small and with different purposes and many different culinary uses and different consumer experiences.

“There used to be a lot of focus on product purpose options by variety and the many ways to cook them. I think a lot of that has been lost due to cost of living challenges, consolidation and rationalisation in retail channels and less focus in schools on how to look after yourself and feed yourself. 

“I think that has led to consumers not always getting the best out of potatoes.”

Low carb diet trends have also influenced perceptions but Bryan’s view is that consumers and the sector need to ‘embrace the fact potatoes have carbs’.

“Carbs are an energy source, that’s why you’re eating it, as part of a balanced diet. At the end of a meal with potatoes, compared to a meal with rice, you are getting those carbs but also Vitamin B6, potassium, Vitamin C, fibre and other nutrient-dense components.

“I think that has to be our message that we take out there. We can’t shy away from carbs but the benefit is that energy and everything that comes with it.

“And, of course taste. At AS Wilcox, we have put a lot into the high taste, small potato category with varieties like Perlas and Inca Gold.

“Inca Gold has some nice health benefits but we aren’t a big enough business to undertake the research and development to verify the health claims, so we promote them on taste.

“They say we first  buy with our eyes and again with our stomachs – and that’s certainly true of Perlas potatoes’. New-season Perlas give home cooks chef-like confidence with minimal effort: simply boil and serve with a knob of butter. Not only do they look irresistible, but their rich, buttery flavour guarantees diners have a great eating experience.”

Despite all the advances in technology, the weather still plays a huge part in the success, or otherwise, of each season’s crop.

“You have to be resilient to be a potato grower,” says Bryan. “It’s one of the few things you can plant this year and hope to get money back next year.

“It’s exciting, growing a potato plant and scraping away the dirt and seeing what is happening underneath. It’s always a bit of a surprise and you hope it will be a pleasant surprise.

“There are a lot of economic challenges, costs are up and values are falling below sustainable levels.

“But when you have that challenge, you have to take long time view. AS Wilcox is a multi-generation business and it’s about sensible business strategies and plans and making efficiencies in the supply chain.

“The biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity for the sector is succession and raising awareness of the opportunities in the industry.

“There are not many careers where there is the opportunity of going into sales, marketing, new product development, supply chain, post-harvest, agronomics, operations or precision engineering.

“All those opportunities, and more, are there for people in the potato industry. As a business, we have worked hard to create an environment where we have a great company culture and people want to join and progress in it to grow high quality, healthy food for consumers to purchase– and that is what I enjoy most about leading our growing team.”