February 13, 2025 – Baby Carrots

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today’s throwback year is 1986, the year baby carrots were invented by carrot farmer Mike Yurosek. At the time, as much as 70% of a carrot harvest was discarded, unable to be sold due to being the wrong shape and size. In an effort to cut down on all that waste, Yurosek came up with the idea of peeling and cutting the deformed carrots into 2-inch portion sizes, hoping that improving the appearance would make them more marketable to local grocers. He sent a bag of his baby carrots to a local grocery chain, and they were a huge hit. By 1987, carrot consumption increased by 30%. Today, baby carrots consist of 70% of total carrot sales. Learn more in the audio below.