“This fry thing has just exploded,” said Jimmy Burch, partner in Burch Farms Inc., Faison, N.C. “We doubled the business we did last year, and last year we doubled the business we did the year before.”
Also expecting to double their fry sales this year — at least double, that is — is Ham Produce Co. Inc., Snow Hill, N.C., said Bobby Ham, owner.
Foodservice sales in general have climbed in recent years for the company, Ham said.
“The past three years, we’ve seen an increase in the restaurant business,” he said. “It’s a major part of our business. We have a good mix of foodservice and retail.”
Outback and other family chain restaurants have been big customers of sweet potato fries, Burch said. But so have many independent restaurants.