Purple sweet potatoes are gaining attention among consumers and growers in California, particularly during the Thanksgiving season. Traditionally, sweet potatoes served at holiday meals are yellow or orange, but purple varieties are now appearing more frequently on dining tables.
“There’s a lot of interest in the purple sweet potato,” said Scott Stoddard, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Merced County. “It’s creating buzz, something new to talk about.”
Most sweet potatoes available to West Coast shoppers originate from clones of mother plants propagated at UC Davis Foundation Plant Service. These selections were made by Stoddard.
Five years ago, only a few growers experimented with purple sweet potatoes. Now, approximately 1,000 acres of these varieties are cultivated in California. At least six types are grown statewide, though growers often keep their specific choices confidential for competitive reasons.
“Right now, it’s the wild, Wild West,” Stoddard explained. “Nobody will tell you what they’re growing. It’s like, ‘my purple is better than your purple.’”
Among the notable varieties are Stokes Purple and Ben Yagi—both owned by a company—as well as an experimental type called Purple Rayne and others such as Purple Majesty, Purple Splendor and Regal Purple.
“Eventually we’ll settle on one or two varieties,” Stoddard said.
While Hawaii farmers grow Okinawan sweet potatoes (white skin with purple flesh), this variety does not yield enough in California to be economically viable. The trend toward purple-skinned and -fleshed types began with Stokes Purple.
Jeremy Fookes, director of sales for A.V. Thomas Produce Company—which owns both Stokes Purple and Ben Yagi—recalled challenges introducing these new varieties to retailers due to differences in cooking requirements compared to traditional orange-fleshed types.
“The first couple of years were a challenge,” said Fookes, who started growing five acres of purple varieties in 2012. “Stokes has to be cooked longer in order to make it moister inside, otherwise it can be chalky or pasty if you don’t cook it long enough.”
To assist with marketing efforts, A.V. Thomas Produce partnered with Frieda’s Specialty Produce in Anaheim.
Interest surged after the release of the Netflix documentary “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” in 2023 highlighted potential health benefits associated with anthocyanin found in purple sweet potatoes. Following this exposure, demand increased significantly for these products from both large commercial grocers and independent stores across the United States and internationally.
California produces about a quarter of all U.S.-grown sweet potatoes but faced setbacks after disruptions caused by COVID-19 impacted supply chains starting in 2020. Most production is concentrated in Merced, Stanislaus and Kern counties; acreage has declined from over 21,000 acres five years ago to about 18,000 acres today as some growers shifted focus to other crops.
“We thought sweet potato fries would take off,” Stoddard said. “It was ramping up, then quit and flatlined.”
Labor costs remain high because harvesting still requires significant manual handling at multiple stages before reaching retail outlets.
Stoddard has worked for nearly 25 years seeking improved red-skinned varieties that offer better storage qualities than existing ones like Diane—which is susceptible to root knot nematodes—and alternatives such as Burgundy (released in 2014) and Vermillion (released in 2021). Vermillion now accounts for roughly 10%–15% of state acreage but presents mixed results among growers regarding yield consistency.
Because there are no dedicated breeders within California itself, collaboration occurs with Louisiana State University breeder Don La Bonte; four out of six leading commercial varieties originated from LSU’s program before being trialed locally by Stoddard and cooperating farmers.
Bellevue—a variety bred at LSU—now represents about 15% of California acreage following extensive local evaluation for yield stability and disease resistance prior to its formal release in 2015. This variety is also grown internationally due to its favorable characteristics including resistance against certain pests like root knot nematodes.
Currently Bellevue along with Vermillion and Diane comprise two-thirds of state production while white-flesh types such as Murasaki and Bonita remain popular alternatives.
“We’re moving away from orange flesh varieties,” he said. “We’re not growing varieties that others can grow.”
California has developed a niche market for organic sweet potato production since pest pressures allow reduced reliance on insecticides compared with other states; crop rotation through dry fallowing helps manage soil-borne threats naturally.
For best flavor when preparing yellow or orange-fleshed types at home—including those evaluated by Stoddard himself—baking at moderate temperatures caramelizes starches effectively: “While Ben Yagi Purples cook like other moist flesh varieties, the Stokes Purple sweet potato should be cooked low and slow,” said Fookes of A.V. Thomas Produce Company. He recommends baking them between 250–275 degrees Fahrenheit for up to two hours rather than microwaving which does not develop comparable flavors.
“You only get caramelization through the low heat, slow baking process whether it’s foil-wrapped on a barbecue or in a pan in the oven,” Fookes said.
