Mill River, P.E.I. woman wins national award for produce marketing

A woman who went from the fashion industry to the potato business has been awarded what's been called the Emmy of produce marketing in Canada.

Jennifer Harris of Mill River, P.E.I. has been selling potatoes for Mid-Isle Farms in Albany for ten years, and is the company's marketing and sales manager.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association has recognized Harris with this year's Mary Fitzgerald Award, which recognizes young professionals with passion and dedication to the produce industry.

Harris is the first from Atlantic Canada to be given this honour.

"I'm incredibly humbled," she said. "This award is an honour that words they really can't express. I never dreamt that it could be possible that I could achieve something like this, especially coming from the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, you know, where we're kind of in the shadows being in P.E.I. but it's an absolute honour."

Career shift

Harris studied business at UPEI, and had turned a parttime job at Aldo shoes in Charlottetown into a fulltime marketing job with the company in Montreal.

But Mid-Isle's CEO, Rick Burt, convinced Harris to leave that promising career to come back and help them market potatoes.

She says it was a huge change, as "I literally didn't know what a Russet was when I started."

It also took her awhile to adjust from an industry that's based on appearance.

"The fashion industry is literally like the movie The Devil Wears Prada," Harris said."When you're walking through the halls and the head buyers would kind of look you up and make sure you're shoes match your belt perfectly and you're wearing the right colour."

Harris said her job with Mid-Isle is all about building relationships with the company's customers.