Most people don’t try their hand at entrepreneurship until they’re well into adulthood—but that hasn’t stopped one Brandon boy from starting his own business, and he’s helping his community along the way. Logan Pandolfi, now seven, started a homegrown potato business last year from his backyard in Brandon, and it has since sprouted into something much bigger than even Logan and his dad expected. “We had no idea how good it would go,” said Ryan Pandolfi, Logan’s father, seated next to his son during an interview. “We just took a shot at it last year... it blew both of us away.” Ryan said he and Logan had been growing potatoes for their own use for four years since moving into their Brandon home, an activity he described as a bond between the two of them. Last year, he floated the idea of expanding the garden and selling some of the harvest to the community—and Logan took it from there, naming the venture “Welcome to Logan’s Potatoes.” In that first year, the operation consisted of 16 raised garden beds and flowerpots. Come harvest, Ryan said they pulled in 80 pounds of potatoes, with about 75 per cent of that sold over three days from their driveway, where Logan greeted customers himself. “It got going because everybody kind of just wanted to help a young entrepreneur, I think,” Ryan said. “The community really embraced it… I know it’s pretty easy to support a young child, but to see it grow like this has just been incredible—it’s just blown up.” Of the roughly $700 raised in year one, about $200 was donated back to the community, going toward supplies for two local animal shelters, Ryan said. “Leashes, toys, treats, [and] food,” said Logan, who turns eight in November. Support pours in for year two That community support only grew in year two, after Logan and Ryan began writing letters to local businesses before the growing season started this year, asking for help with the operations. Ryan said the response included 25 bags of potato seed, nine yards of soil and other donations—all from different local companies. “We’re so grateful that we were able to get that kind of a contribution to make this even possible because I don’t think, respectfully, we could afford to do this otherwise.” That support, including donated garden beds, allowed Logan to significantly scale up the operation, more than doubling his growing capacity to 34 potato beds. But the expansion hasn’t come without its challenges, Logan pointed out. “The [garden hose] gets tied on like… the potato beds, and it gets just hard to water,” he said. As for who’s in charge of the business, Ryan didn’t hesitate. “Logan’s the boss,” he said—a title his son happily confirmed, though he acknowledged his dad “helps me with some of the costs.” “I enjoy it a lot,” Logan said. His favourite part of running the business? “Probably selling them,” he said. For Ryan, watching his son’s business take off has been an emotional experience. “I’m so proud of him. I love it—I don’t have the words to really tell you,” he said. “We go out to events, and people will walk up to him and tell him how proud they are of him—people I don’t even know. He’ll be sitting at an event, and people will walk up and give him money and tell him how proud they are.” The duo has been documenting the business on Facebook, with photos showing plants so bountiful that Logan can be hard to spot among them. Logan’s business has also caught on around the city in other ways. His face is superimposed on a potato body in a logo that now appears on a digital billboard on First Street in Brandon, Ryan said, thanks to a friend who reached out to offer help. Logan even has a catchphrase to go with it: “Get your spud from your little bud!” When asked whether his friends and classmates know about his entrepreneurial venture, Logan said, “Probably everybody knows, because I’m on a billboard.” He’s also caught the attention of the Brandon Police Service, who stopped by his house last year and traded him chocolate milk—Logan’s favourite drink—for some potatoes. This year’s harvest This year, Logan is selling four varieties of potatoes—red, gold, russet, and fingerling—priced at $3.50 a pound, a rate that’s held steady since he started. Sales will run at four locations around Brandon between August 14 and 17. Purchases are capped at five pounds per customer, Logan said, following a similar limit introduced last year after demand outpaced supply. Specific times and locations are posted on the business’s Facebook page. Logan is aiming to harvest 120 pounds this year. He’s already pulled in 55 pounds, Ryan said. The young entrepreneur has also set a new goal for where a portion of this year’s proceeds will go—buying toys for kids at Brandon General Hospital. “The reason I found that is because one time I went to the doctor… and after, they offered me some toy, a little toy, the squishy thing, and I thought maybe that’s what we should do for our potatoes,” he said. Ryan said the idea entirely came from his son. “I don’t push this on him,” he said. “He literally got a toy given to him... and Logan looked at me and said, ‘I want to do this for my potatoes.’” “I’ve told him since the start. There’s nothing better than helping other people, right? And it’s great,” Ryan said. As for how long the business will stick around, Logan has a rough answer. “I’m probably going to do it for a few years,” he said.
