Nokota Packers

What Nokota Packers does

NoKota Packers, Inc. is a private, family-owned potato packer and shipper headquartered in Buxton, North Dakota, in the Red River Valley. Founded in 1979, the company stores, washes, polishes, optically grades, and packages tablestock red potatoes for distribution across the United States, operating a state-of-the-art facility with 54 million pounds of controlled atmosphere storage capacity and shipping approximately 1,500 semi-truck loads per year. The company partners with nine contracted growing operations (up from four in its first season) and packs approximately 85% of volume under customer private labels, retaining five owned regional brands (Buxton's Best, Bully, Little Bully, Roughrider, NoKota Pride) for the remainder.

The business earns revenue across three streams: wholesale potato sales to retail grocery chains and food service operators via brokers in Minnesota and the Red River Valley; branded products sold directly under the Side Delights franchise (including Steamables, Flavorables, Roastables, Bakeables, and Farmers Table organic lines), for which NoKota is the exclusive supplier through its Fresh Solutions Network membership since 2012; and direct walk-in sales at the Buxton facility, where consumers purchase 50# premium bags at $20.00 or 20# Size A at $10.00. Specialty packaging equipment includes high-speed electronic bagging machines capable of 140 five-pound bags per minute and three VolmPack machines handling 3#-20# formats.

The company is in a post-generational-transition phase, having consolidated ownership among the Gjelsness and Lee families between 2019 and 2021, with Carissa Olsen (Tim Lee's daughter, in the business since 2005) serving as President & CEO. Year-round headcount of approximately 35 expands with seasonal hiring during the mid-September to early May wash season. No private equity, venture, or institutional capital is disclosed in the source material, and no financial figures (revenue, EBITDA, valuation) have been publicly released.

Name

Nokota Packers

Legal name

NoKota Packers, Inc.

Website

https://nokotapackers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NoKota Packers is a family-owned packer and shipper of Red River Valley red potatoes, serving US grocery retailers, food service operators, and walk-in consumers from its Buxton, North Dakota facility with controlled-atmosphere storage, optical grading, and high-speed packaging, and supplying the Side Delights brand exclusively through the Fresh Solutions Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Buxton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Potato Sales: Primary revenue from storing, washing, and packaging tablestock potatoes for resale. Ships potatoes by the truckload to distribution centers around the country. Approximately 85% of potatoes packed under customers' private labels.
2. Retail Walk-In Sales: Direct sales to individual consumers at the facility. 50# Premiums priced at $20.00, 20# Size A at $10.00. Other packages available upon request.
3. Branded Products: Own brand names including Buxton's Best, Bully, Little Bully, Roughrider, and NoKota Pride. Also exclusive supplier of Side Delights brand through Fresh Solutions Network membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Nokota Packers is a family-operated red potato packing and distribution company headquartered in Hoople, North Dakota. The company washes, grades, polishes, bags, and ships red potatoes — both conventional and organic — under its proprietary Side Delights brand, customer-specific private labels, and generic store brands. Operations span a 75,000+ square foot packing facility with controlled atmosphere storage supporting year-round supply to grocery retailers, food service operators, and brokers.

Product overview

Nokota Packers is a third-generation packer and shipper of red potatoes in the Red River Valley. The company operates as a single unified product business focused on storing, washing, and packaging tablestock potatoes for resale. Their core product is Red River Valley red potatoes, which they sell under their own brand labels (Buxton's Best, Bully, Little Bully, Roughrider, and NoKota Pride) and as an exclusive supplier of the Side Delights brand through Fresh Solutions Network. The Side Delights portfolio includes multiple convenience-focused product lines: Steamables (microwaveable bags), Flavorables (globally seasoned potatoes), Roastables (pre-seasoned tray products), Bakeables (quick-cook options), and Farmers Table Organic (certified organic, non-GMO potatoes). Nokota Packers also offers walk-in sales of premium red potatoes in various package sizes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Side Delights: A brand of fresh, wholesome potatoes of the highest quality in a full-range of potato types and bag sizes, supplied exclusively through Fresh Solutions Network.

Products and services

• Side Delights Steamables Pre-washed, pre-seasoned red potatoes packaged in microwave steam bags designed for quick home preparation. Targeted at grocery retailers and consumers seeking convenient side dishes.
• Side Delights Roastables Seasoned red potatoes packaged for oven roasting, offering a convenient prepared side-dish option for grocery retail and food service channels.
• Side Delights Flavorables Red potatoes paired with seasoning flavor kits marketed under the Side Delights brand for at-home preparation. Targeted at retail consumers seeking flavor variety.
• Side Delights Bakeables Red potatoes packaged and marketed for oven-baking preparation as a branded convenience item in grocery retail channels.
• Side Delights Farmers Table Organic Potatoes USDA-organic red potatoes sold under the Side Delights Farmers Table sub-brand through natural and conventional grocery retail channels.
• Private Label Red Potato Packing Contract packing of washed, graded, and bagged red potatoes under customer-specific private labels for grocery retail chains and food service operators. Represents the majority of Nokota's annual volume.
• Organic Red Potato Private Label Packing Contract packing of USDA-organic red potatoes under customer private labels for natural food retailers and grocery chains with organic programs.
• Walk-in Retail Counter Sales On-site retail counter at the Hoople, North Dakota facility selling bagged red potatoes directly to local consumers in smaller volumes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processing capacity of 140 five-pound bags per minute
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Food Bloggers (Adopt a Potato Farmer Program)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 September 2019Adopt a Potato Farmer program paired food bloggers with FSN farmers to share stories about growing Side Delights potatoes. Blog posts generated from interviews with farmers including Kristy Still (Mommy Hates Cooking), Mariah Moon (Simple Parent), Amber Edwards (BusyCreatingMemories.com), targeting over 2 million views over 60 days.
• Food Bloggers (Mash It or Smash It Program)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2016Food blogger influencer marketing program targeting Millennial consumers with 'Mash It or Smash It Tonight' challenge during Thanksgiving season. 7 bloggers participated sharing original recipes.
• Fresh Solutions Network LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012NoKota Packers joined Fresh Solutions Network in 2012, a group of family-owned growers and shippers working together to make the potato and onion industry better. The network helps potato and onion buyers grow their categories, maximize category investment, and increase sales through competitive insights, collaborative innovation, and customized assortment. NoKota is the exclusive supplier of Side Delights brand potatoes through this network.
• Basin Gold CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSN partner located in Pasco, WA
• Green Thumb FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSN partner located in Fryeburg, ME
• Mack FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSN partner located in Lake Wales, FL
• Masser Potato Farms (Sterman Masser Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSN partner with locations in Sacramento and Hegins, PA
• Michael Family FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSN partner located in Urbana, OH
• Red Isle ProduceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSN partner located in Prince Edward Island, Canada
• Sun-Glo of IdahominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSN partner located in Sugar City, ID
• HCV Booster ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal community partnership supporting athletics and students in Hillsboro and Central Valley schools. Business sponsor at volleyball and basketball games with potato donations and giveaways.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RPE Produce Exchange: One of the largest potato packer/shippers in North America, supplying private label and branded tablestock potatoes to grocery and food service customers. Closest direct comparable to NoKota in scale, private-label mix, and value-added convenience offerings.
• Wada Farms: Idaho-based potato grower/packer/shipper with national retail and foodservice distribution and value-added product lines. Comparable to NoKota in operating model (grower-network + washplant + private label) and customer base.
• Black Gold Farms: Multi-state potato grower/packer with vertically integrated farms and packing facilities across the US. Comparable to NoKota in combining grower relationships, packing infrastructure, and retail private label supply.
• Sterman Masser Inc. (Masser Potato Farms): Pennsylvania potato grower/packer and a Fresh Solutions Network partner with locations in Sacramento and Hegins, PA. Closely comparable to NoKota as a fellow FSN packer operating in a different geography.
• Basin Gold Cooperative: Washington-based potato packer and FSN partner. Comparable to NoKota as a regional red/russet packer that plugs into the same FSN national distribution and Side Delights brand platform.
• Green Thumb Farms: Maine-based potato grower/packer and FSN partner. Comparable to NoKota as a family-owned grower-packer operating inside the same Fresh Solutions Network national platform.
• Sun-Glo of Idaho: Idaho-based potato packer and FSN partner located in Sugar City, ID. Comparable to NoKota in operating model and as a fellow FSN network member distributing through Side Delights.
• Eagle Eye Produce: Idaho potato grower/packer/shipper with national retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable to NoKota in combining grower-base sourcing, packing operations, and branded/private-label supply.
• Potandon Produce: Idaho-based potato packer/shipper and owner of the Klondike Brands value-added line. Comparable to NoKota in pairing commodity tablestock with branded convenience products (e.g., microwaveable potatoes).

Broad incumbents

• Keystone Potato Products: Pennsylvania-based potato processor with broader processing/dehydrated capability. Comparable to NoKota in operating inside the US potato value chain but more processing-focused than fresh packing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nokota-packers-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nokota Packers