Sobeys to build world’s largest potato display on October 3rd in Charlottetown, PEI

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board is excited to announce that Sobeys is constructing a record-setting display featuring 90,000 pounds of PEI potatoes on Wednesday, October 3rd at their retail location on University Av., Charlottetown.

This will set a new world record for the size of a potato display, eclipsing a previous record of 80,000 lbs previously set in Idaho.

The display will consist of 10 pound paper bags of PEI potatoes supplied by Prince Edward Island potato growers, including WP Griffin Inc. in Elmsdale and Jewell’s Produce in York. This record-setting display will also kick off a five day sale on potatoes at this location, just in time for Thanksgiving this weekend.

Derek MacLeod, Produce Manager at the University Avenue location of Sobeys, notes that in coming up with the idea for the display that they “wanted to think outside the box.” They knew that they wanted to do a large potato display in Prince Edward Island “because there is no better place to showcase potatoes than here on the Island,” according to Derek.

Greg Donald, General Manager of the PEI Potato Board, adds that “we are excited about this promotional spotlight on Prince Edward Island potatoes, and we are not surprised that it is happening here in Prince Edward Island, the potato capital of Canada!”

The display will be constructed by noon on Wednesday, October 3rd. The public are invited to come for a barbeque on Wednesday afternoon from 4 to 6 pm, accompanied by baked potatoes provided by WP Griffin Inc from their portable potato roaster. The barbeque and baked potatoes will be on offer again Thursday, October 4th from 11 am to 2 pm. A portion of the proceeds from the barbeque will be donated by Sobeys to the Canadian Potato Museum in O’Leary, PEI. Entertainment and festivities will be ongoing during these times as well, including a visit from Tate, the mascot from the Prince Edward Island Potato Board.

Proudly Canadian, with headquarters in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Sobeys has been serving the food shopping needs of Canadians for 105 years. Sobeys and its franchise affiliates employ more than 95,000 people. The company’s goal is to be widely recognized as the best food retailer and workplace environment in Canada.

Prince Edward Island Potatoes are world renowned for the great taste and quality that comes from growing in the unique red soil of PEI. The potato industry in PEI creates a total economic impact of $1.065 billion dollars and directly or indirectly employs over 12% of the Island workforce.

Source: PEI Potato Boar