A Prince Edward Island potato grower is hoping a new variety with distinctive pink markings will be a big hit in P.E.I. stores and eventually make its way to the U.S.
Johnny MacLean, from West Devon, P.E.I., bought the exclusive North American rights for the seed. But the potatoes didn’t have a name—just a number. So he dubbed them Smilin’ Eyes Irish Gold.
“The eyes on them are kind of flashed pink eyes, and some of them look like they’re smiling at you,” said MacLean. 
“That's why I named them Smilin’ Eyes.”
MacLean said the yellow-fleshed potatoes not only look good, they taste good—and he’s eaten a lot of potatoes during his 40 years of farming.
“The best potato I ever ate,” he said. “Not because I [have] them. I never cared for some of these other yellow potatoes, but everybody that gets these says there’s nothing like them.”
MacLean got the exclusive rights to sell Smilin’ Eyes from the Potato Variety Management Institute (PVMI) in the U.S. PVMI handles licensing and royalty collection on Washington, Oregon and Idaho potato varieties.
Executive director Jeanne Debons said MacLean submitted a marketing plan outlining why he should get an exclusive contract for Smilin’ Eyes in North America. The five-year contract cost $15,000, and PVMI charges a $1 per hundredweight royalty on the seed.
MacLean planted 100 acres of Smilin’ Eyes last spring. He said the potatoes even attracted attention while they were still in the ground thanks to their distinctive pink flowers.
“The prettiest field you could ever want to see,” MacLean said. “I’ve seen two, three, four cars stopped there at once, taking pictures. They’re really pretty.”
Some stores in Prince County, P.E.I, have begun selling Smilin’ Eyes.
MacLean said they cost a bit more than standard potato varieties because they’re a specialty variety. He’s not sure how many acres of Smilin’ Eyes spuds he’ll plant this spring, saying it will depend on how winter sales go.
MacLean has his eye on the U.S. market, especially in Boston and New York, where he says there are many people of Irish descent who may be interested in such a variety.
Source: CBC News