News
Potato Museum gets another big boost (click video link)
Friday March 27, 2015
The museum 2019s president, Bill MacKendrick, was in attendance to accept a $42,500 cheque from Sobeys and Griffins on behalf of the museum, the proceeds from this year's promotion. It was WP Griffin Inc. president, John Griffin who initially pitched the promotion idea to Sobeys. On Friday Griffin announced that 170,000 ten-pound bags were sold through the promotion this year, with the museum receiving a 25-cent donation from every bag. The contribution for the first three years of the promotion is $114,500. While some of the Sobeys-Griffins donation is going for general maintenance, MacKendrick said the majority of it will be used to help leverage funds for future expansion. He anticipates adding to the antique farm machinery museum to accommodate more displays including an extensive blacksmithing display. The bags also carried a context for a chance to win a P.E.I. summer vacation, including stay at the Rodd Mill River Resort and a tour o the museum. The Potato Board and the Rodd were among the sponsors for the contest. The grand prize-winner was Norma Beliveau from Moncton. MacKendrick believes the promotion also helps brings visitors to the museum. Last year it enjoyed its busiest summer ever.
WP Griffin Family Farm Corporate Video
Friday December 19, 2014
Welcome to our Family Farm corporate video. This video was includes footage from the growing season of 2014. You will see footage of our staff planting potatoes,get hospitality management degree, checking the fields, combining grain, harvesting potatoes and more. Regards, John Griffin
Mashed Potatoes
Monday December 1, 2014
The Kilted Chef cooks mashed potatoes with the perfect potatoes purchased as Sobeys in the Blue bag,
Harvest moving along nicely
Friday October 17, 2014
ELMSDALE -- With a little bit of rain falling Thursday morning, W.P. Griffin Inc.'s owner-operator Peter Griffin was enjoying a few hours of relative relaxation. Machinery would be back in the potato field by afternoon, he said. Potato equipment works a field in Glengarry earlier this week. With good digging condition, the Island's spud harvest is close to 75 per cent complete. "I've never seen a fall like this one in my life," the Elmsdale-based potato grower and shipper said. He indicated conditions have been great for digging, dry enough that there has been practically no strain on equipment. P.E.I. Potato Board executive director, Greg Donald, said many farmers described the fall of 2013 as one of the best they could remember for harvesting potatoes. "I don't think this fall is too far off," he assessed. Although conditions have been reasonably dry, Donald said most regions have received timely rainfall at least once a week. "Overall, it's been a terrific year for digging," Donald said. He estimated the harvest Island-wide will be about 75 per cent complete by the end of the week. He said growers are not feeling pressed and some are digging just from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and some have been taking Sundays off. Some growers are even taking a few days off to allow spuds to size up a bit more before digging, Donald added. Griffin estimated his farm's harvest is about two-thirds complete. That's right where they'd normally be at this time of year, but actually further along than expected considering a late spring led to a later start to the harvest. Considering the late spring followed by a dry summer, Griffin said the crop is "surprisingly good." Unless the Island gets some heavy rain in the coming days, Griffin estimates their harvest will be complete within 10 days to two weeks. © Eric McCarthy/Journal Pioneer
Atlantic Business Top 50 CEO's
Wednesday May 21, 2014
John Griffin was named one of Atlantic Canada's Top 50 CEO's 2014 by Atlantic Business magazine. Since 1999, Atlantic Business Magazine has dedicated one of its six issues per year to profiling Atlantic Canada's most accomplished business leaders. "Our intention is to give a worthy individual the recognition he/she deserves as well as to use their example to inspire other companies and business leaders to achieve similar success". Nominations are submitted by our readers and nominees are judged according to: their corporate, community and industry involvement; their company's growth in recent years; and, their responses to various managerial challenges.
Potato month sales provides boost to Potato Museum
Monday April 7, 2014
ELMSDALE -- A joint Potato Month promotion by Sobeys stores in Atlantic Canada and the grocery chain's major supplier of high-end potatoes has netted the Canadian Potato Museum lots of tourism exposure and a $22,500 contribution. Sobeys and potato packager WP Griffin Inc. of Elmsdale made a 25-cent contribution to the Potato Museum for every specially marked 10-pound bag of Heritage Russet potatoes sold in Sobeys stores in Atlantic Canada during February. Last year the two companies raised $49,000 for the museum. "It's a huge financial contribution to help us continue improving the museum," said Stanley MacDonald, president of the museum's board of directors. "It's a great help to the museum. The financial boost is only part of the benefit the museum receives from the promotion. The specially marked bags direct customers to a website where they can learn more about the Potato Museum and where they can enter a contest for a chance to win a trip to P.E.I. and the Potato Museum. There were more than 2,800 online entries. Other partners in the promotion were P.E.I. Tourism, Golf PEI, Rodd Mill River Resort, Fresh Media, P.E.I. Potato Board and P.E.I. Bag Company. Christa Geldart from Turtle Creek, NB is this year's grand prize-winner, of a summer weekend package for two at the Rodd Mill River Resort. The package includes three days, two nights stay at the resort, two meals, two rounds of golf and pro shop gift certificates. Other prizes in the promotion were nine Sobeys $100 gift cards, 25 kitchen sets from the Potato Board and 25 Flavours of Prince Edward island Culinary Journey cookbooks. All 60 of the prizes also included free admission to the museum. That exposure means much for the museum, said MacDonald who noted attendance to O'Leary's primary tourist attraction keeps increasing. "You get your name out there, " said MacDonald in pointing out the other benefit the promotion provides to the museum. Kevin Kane, produce specialist for Sobeys stores in P.E.I. and Northern Nova Scotia, said the promotion has been so successful for two consecutive years that he anticipates it could be repeated. "Any time you can help a community raise $22,500, it's a huge success,' he said. John Griffin, president of WP Griffin Inc., said his company moved 18 tractor trailer loads of potatoes in February in support of the promotion alone. Museum board member Bill MacKendrick had approached Griffin late in 2012 about a poeato promotion in support of the museum. Griffin tweaked his proposal and helped come up with the Sobey's Griffins Potato Month promotion. MacDonald is not ruling out some sort of display at the museum to acknowledge the two companies contributions. In the meantime, he's looking forward to another year of increased visits to the museum and strong sales at the museum's gift shop and potato-themed restaurant.
