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When Steve Elfering was growing up on a farm in Minnesota, he didn’t know his path would lead him to potatoes – but it’s been the journey of a lifetime, taking him across the country and around the world.
After earning his degree in agronomy at South Dakota State University, where he attended on a football scholarship, Steve joined one of the biggest retail vegetable brands in the country. In 1993, the company decided they wanted to brand fresh potatoes, and Steve moved to Pennsylvania to set up their East Coast sourcing network. The rest is potato history.
In 1999, Steve got the opportunity to move to Idaho, eventually working with what was, at the time, the largest marketer of fresh potatoes in the United States. Today, he serves as CEO of 1,4GROUP, Inc., a family-owned chemical distribution business that supports the potato industry. Steve and 1,4GROUP also joint venture on potatoes for research that end up in the fresh and dehydrated potato markets. Steve was recently elected to serve as Potatoes USA Board Chair for 2025-2026.
1,4GROUP’s mission is to help growers reduce food waste by preserving the field-fresh quality, along with the nutritional and economic value, of their potatoes. About 80% of 1,4GROUP’s business is international, giving Steve a unique perspective on the industry.
“I get to work with growers, packers, and processors all over the world, and it gives me the chance to come back and share that knowledge,” he said.
Between his work with 1,4GROUP and Potatoes USA, Steve is often on the road. One of his favorite things to do when he travels is to wear his Team Potato gear as much as possible, which is a great conversation starter.
“On every flight, people stop to tell me, ‘I love potatoes!’ All the flight attendants want to tell me their favorite dishes – they’re holding up the whole boarding line talking about it,” Steve said. “It’s amazing that potatoes are such a universal conversation piece. I can’t think of anything else in my life that creates more common ground.”
No matter where his travels take him, Steve looks forward to coming home to Boise, Idaho, where he lives with his wife, Amie, and is the proud dad of two daughters. He loves the natural beauty of the state.
“If you have an outdoor hobby, you can do it in Idaho,” said Steve. “You can hike, fish, hunt, paddleboard – people are friendly, and it’s very scenic.”
Of course, potatoes are the perfect fuel for all those activities. Steve is partial to twice-baked potatoes, a good baked potato, and au gratin potatoes. And as much as he loves to eat potatoes, he loves the people who help bring America’s favorite vegetable to tables around the world even more.
“People don’t leave the potato industry too often because they’re so passionate about it,” Steve said. “You see multigenerational farms. You see people who have been doing this for 30-plus years. It’s an incredible thing to be part of.”
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