Produce World is hoping it’s third time lucky on the branded produce front with the launch of Burgess Harvest Veg potatoes - which will go head to head with Rooster and Rudolph.

The company, which failed in its attempt to take Green Giant into fresh produce and pulled its regional From My Farm brand, will initially use the Burgess Harvest Veg brand on its new potato variety Baby Ruby.

The potatoes went into The Co-operative Group stores last week (rsp: £1.50 for a 750g bag) and Produce World said it expected to secure further listings for the brand within the next month.

It added that if the launch was a success, it would would consider rolling out the brand to other potato and vegetable varieties.

The brand, which is named after the family that owns Produce World, enters an increasingly crowded potato category, where it will take on category stalwart Rooster, marketed by Albert Bartlett, and Fenmarc’s Rudolph.

Marketing director Andrew Ovens said he was nevertheless confident Burgess Harvest Veg would make an impact.

Research had shown younger consumers wanted to keep their potatoes in the fridge and were looking for smaller, more convenient pack sizes, Ovens said.

“The most tangible USP is probably the much smaller pack size, which makes it easy to store in the fridge, whereas our competitors are about larger pack sizes,” he said. The exclusive Baby Ruby variety and “heritage” of the Burgess family would further differentiate the new brand from its competitors, Ovens added.

Produce World had learned lessons from its previous branding attempts, he said.

“We recognised we need to focus us on what we’re really good at - such as potatoes - rather than getting caught up in diversification,” he said.

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