Northern Irish supplier says budget pressure is pushing more people to eat at home
Potato consumption is on the rise as cost-of-living pressure pushes more people to eat at home, according to Wilson’s Country.
The Northern Irish supplier says the trend has been particularly notable over the past year, with potatoes meeting the need for affordable and tasty food while cooking at home.
“People are eating out less because of the costs involved, but they still want to treat themselves while eating at home,” said Lewis Cunningham, MD of Wilson’s Country. “And potatoes are, very much, at the heart of this evolving story.”
Tesco has recently added Wilson’s Country potatoes to its Finest range, with the range focused on the Efera and Kelly varieties. The potatoes are sold in bespoke paper bags.
Brand recognition
Meanwhile, Wilson’s Country has been named Northern Ireland’s number-one fresh produce brand in a recent Northern Ireland Brand Footprint by Worldpanel by Numerator survey. The survey also states that Wilson’s Country’s Customer Reach Point (CRP) value has increased by 37 per cent year on year.
“We are delighted with this strong level of endorsement, particularly as the survey was carried out on a totally independent basis,” said Cunningham. “CRP is a specific Worldpanel by Numerator evaluation, which encompasses the population, the number of households buying a specific brand and their interaction with the brand.
“In our case, sales growth has increased significantly over the past 12 months. This has been driven, in part, by the success of our new naked and traditional mash products. Both offerings are marketed under the Wilson’s Country brand.”
Tough harvest
Wilson’s Country also gave an update on the maincrop potato harvest, which it said has ground to a halt as a direct result of the very wet weather that has characterised the late autumn period and the subsequent deterioration in ground conditions.
The company estimates that 90 per cent of crops have been harvested, with the remainder set to be lifted as soon as ground conditions improve in the new year.
“Potato yields varied a lot in 2025,” Cunningham explained. ”This trend reflects the near drought conditions encountered by crops during the summer months. Potato dry matters are high across the board. This is good from an eating quality point of view, however potatoes that are that little bit higher in terms of their dry matter are prone to bruising issues.”
