Matt has worked for 24 years to open markets for U.S. potatoes. He is the first non-farmer recipient of this award.
On February 27, 2023, the U.S. potato industry awarded BCI’s Vice President for Global Access, Matt Lantz, its highest award, the Golden Potato. For 24 years, Matt has worked to open new markets for U.S. potatoes and address international issues facing the industry. In the last year, after 20 years of negotiations, the Mexican potato market opened for U.S. potatoes, providing the industry over 80 million new potential customers. Matt has worked on the issue throughout the negotiations.
Upon presenting the award , Jared Balcom, the National Potato Council’s president, said, “Any time we have an issue, he’s the first one on the line working tirelessly. We can’t thank him enough verbally, so we wanted to give him this award. I can’t tell you how many times he has stepped up for this industry.”