News

Toonies for Tummies - Dig In Do Good

Saturday February 2, 2019

WP Griffin Inc and Sobeys jointly present a cheque for $20,000 to The Grocery Foundation for school breakfast programs in Toronto, Ontario. 25 Cents from every 10 pound bag of Dig In Do Good potatoes sold in December and January went to this worthy cause.

New Potato Cuisine products launched

Wednesday January 30, 2019

W.P. Griffin Inc. in Elmsdale just launched a new line of Potato Cuisine mini potatoes in microwaveable trays. These are microwaveable trays of mini potatoes being packed at WP Griffin Inc. in Elmsdale. The new line of Potato Cuisine creamer potatoes is being sold in Sobeys, Foodland and participating Co-op stores from Ontario o Newfoundland. The first orders went out recently. While the Potato Cuisine product line is new, the company has been growing and marketing mini potato creamers to customers, primarily in Atlantic Canada, since 2004. They have also marketed trays of regular sized potatoes that could be peeled or diced.

"This line is sort of an evolution of those other products, in terms of the mini potatoes don't need to be peeled or sliced or diced; you just microwave them or barbecue them," Griffin said. The new line is being sold in Sobeys, Foodland and participating Co-op stores from Newfoundland to Ontario. Griffin said his company has been a Sobeys supplier for nearly 50 years. Getting the new line to market was close to a two-year process, he acknowledged, noting they had to install a specialty weighing station capable of accurately weighing minis in 454-gram sizes. They've installed a new air-tight sealer for the trays, and the sourcing of the proper microwaveable film for the trays took about a year. "Finally, it all came together, a little slower than what we liked, but we're pleased with what we've come up with" said the company's president. "Hopefully the consumers are, too." The product line is so new, that staff is still finalizing how and where the equipment needed for it will be configured in the Elmsdale packing warehouse. Joel McDermaid, the plant's efficiency officer, said the Potato Cuisine packing area will be reconfigured to efficiently accommodate the six workers needed for peak production. "It's great product and it tastes right," McDermaid said. Griffin is anticipating a spike in demand within a month, once customers get their first taste of the new product. The minis are washed and then graded multiple times before going through a polishing station, a final grading and entering the sophisticated weighing station. A spice pack is included with each tray of mini creamers sold. "In the field, (mini creamers) are grown for that size. There are no big ones and they are not the off-grade of regular potatoes; they are a special variety grown just to be that size," Griffin said. "It's a rare type of potato variety that's hard to get and there is only a handful of people growing them." Griffins grow about 250 acres of red, blue, yellow and white varieties of minis and can pack the trays in different colour combinations. Depending on the uptake, the company is prepared to increase its acreage of minis. "The original Jounal Pioneer article - was written by Eric McCarthy - Jan 30"

WP Griffin on Maritime Made TV

Thursday June 14, 2018

Tour our potato wash plant and see how potatoes are washed, sorted and packaged in various bags, boxes and trays.

Children's Hospital-2018-Dig In Do Good

Saturday May 12, 2018

The DigInDoGood campaign was created in partnership with the Grocery Foundation of Atlantic Canada, Sobeys & WP Griffin. Specially marked bags of PEi Potatoes were sold across Atlantic Canada at Sobeys, Foodland & participating Co-op stores. A portion of the sales was donated to the Grocery Foundation of Atlantic Canada which in turn distribute the funds to the three Children's Hospitals in Atlantic Canada. On May 12, 2018 John Griffin, President of WP Griffin Inc. presented a cheque for $32,732.

ABM Hall Of Fame Award

Wednesday May 9, 2018

On Wednesday, May 9th at the Atlantic Business Magazine (ABM) awards dinner in Halifax John Griffin was presented with the ABM Business Hall of Fame award by Hubert Hutton, publisher of the ABM. In 2005, Atlantic Business Magazine launched its Top 50 CEO legacy program: the Hall of Fame awards. Induction to the prestigious Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame is restricted to five-time Top 50 CEO award winners. Congratulations, John!

Cheque Presentation to the Canadian Potato Museum

Tuesday April 24, 2018

The Canadian Potato Museum continues to showcase our Island History and agriculture. This year we were proud to present the museum with a cheque for $15,655. With a 6 year total of 760,620 bags or 7,606,200 lbs our grand total donation is $190,155.00 Additional sponsors included Sobeys, PEI Potato Board, and the Holman Grand Hotel.