Cellar Insights has launched a data collection initiative intended to support the development of earlier and more accurate warnings of potato spoilage in storage.

The Rotten Potato Data Project will collect digital records from significant historical storage incidents, including rot, breakdown and hot spots. These records will be matched with sensor and storage controller data from the days and weeks preceding the incidents and used to train and evaluate machine-learning models.

The first phase is open to growers and storage operators in Manitoba, Alberta, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Cellar Insights said participation would expand into major potato-growing regions in the United States from August.

Growers and storage operators whose records meet the project’s eligibility criteria will receive compensation. Cellar Insights will assess each submission individually, and submitting records will not automatically guarantee their acceptance.

“Rotten potatoes are usually something growers want to forget,” said Terry Sydoryk of Cellar Insights. “But the data around those events is incredibly valuable. If we can understand what was happening in the days and weeks before a problem became obvious, we can build better tools that help every operator spot risk earlier.”

Storage deterioration can develop inside potato piles before operators observe visible symptoms, potentially leading to quality problems and financial losses for growers, packers and processors.

Cellar Insights plans to convert the submitted records into a labelled database of storage events. The company will use the database to test whether patterns in temperature, ventilation, sensor readings and other available storage information can indicate an elevated risk of spoilage.

The initial phase will accept records from Canadian potato stores using eligible digital storage management systems, including IVI, Techmark, Gorman and BTU. Later phases are expected to cover additional systems and broader categories of storage risk.

Cellar Insights said submitted data would remain confidential and be de-identified before being used for model development. Individual growers, storage facilities and spoilage incidents will not be publicly identified.

“Growers who participate aren’t just getting compensated for old records — they’re shaping the early-warning tools the whole industry will rely on,” said Courtney Kowk, Customer Success Lead at Cellar Insights. “The operations that have lived through a serious spoilage event know better than anyone what an earlier warning would have been worth.”

The company cautioned that participation in the project does not guarantee the prevention of spoilage, earlier detection, lower losses or financial savings.

The initiative forms part of Cellar Insights’ work on potato storage monitoring, data visibility and spoilage-risk analytics. The Calgary-based company supplies monitoring and decision-support technology to potato growers and storage operators.