'Nothing into something': Little potatoes turn into big success for Edmonton company

A produce company with Edmonton roots has found big success with tiny potatoes.

The Little Potato Company unveiled its new $39.5 million facility in Nisku on Thursday.

The new 240,000-square-foot building can distribute up to 125 million pounds of potatoes each year.

"It’s state of the art," said founder Angela Santiago. "We’ve thought of a lot of sustainable things like solar panels and recycling water."

Santiago and her father started the Little Potato Company in 1996, growing and harvesting the potatoes themselves on a one-acre plot of land just a few blocks from the new processing plant.

The company now has more than 400 employees, with 200 working in the new building.

"It’s a celebration of something that grew from nothing into something," Santiago said.

"There's a sense of accomplishment but also calmness," she said. "Because I think there’s still lots of opportunity for growth, so it’s still very exciting."

Alberta's minister of agriculture and irrigation said the new facility is part of a "thriving" agricultural industry in the province.

"This facility is so high tech that in the shipping facility, the lights come on and off to anticipate where the forklifts are going to make sure it’s as energy efficient as possible," said RJ Sigurdson.

According to Sigurdson, 80,000 acres of potatoes were grown in Alberta in 2023. That's up from 73,000 the year before.