SWAZ Potato Farms in Massachusetts: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
SWAZ Potato Farms, run by the Szawlowski family in Hatfield, is among the largest vegetable operations in Massachusetts. Founded in 1910, the company says it has 1,500 acres under production across six Pioneer Valley towns and also packs potatoes for other growers.
| Location | Hatfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts; fields in Hatfield, Northampton, Hadley, Amherst, Sunderland and Whately |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910, in Northampton, by Polish immigrant John R. Szawlowski |
| Sectors | potatoes; packing and shipping for other growers |
| Scale | 1,500 acres under production, per the company's own site |
| Why it is elite | A century-old family potato grower and packer operating at a scale unusual for Massachusetts |
| Ownership | Szawlowski family; the company's history page describes several generations |
| Official website | SWAZ Potato Farms official site |
History of SWAZ Potato Farms
John R. Szawlowski, known as JR, was a Polish immigrant who started the farm in 1910 in Northampton. His four sons, Frank, Chet, John and Stanley, later ran the business. In 1972 the city of Northampton took about 75 acres of the farm, and the headquarters moved to Main Street in Hatfield, where it remains.
The Connecticut River valley's deep, well-drained alluvial soils are famous for vegetables, and the family stayed with potatoes as other crops came and went in the valley. The company's history page describes the current management as family members of a later generation, including daughters of Frank Szawlowski, who now oversee farming and packing.
What SWAZ Potato Farms Grows and Raises
The company grows white, red, gold (Yukon Gold) and russet potatoes, plus small Little Swazies and salt potatoes, on about 1,500 acres across Hatfield, Northampton, Hadley, Amherst, Sunderland and Whately. Since 1989 it has also packed potatoes for other growers, which adds volume to its packing line and gives smaller growers access to a larger packing and marketing channel.
Potatoes suit the valley's sandy to silty loams, and rotation with other crops helps manage disease and pests. Storage and packing are what turn a harvest into year-round sales, so the packing house is as central to the business as the fields. The company's page also mentions community partners such as the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and local school athletic programs.
How SWAZ Potato Farms Makes Money
Fresh potato sales
The main revenue stream is growing, packing and selling fresh potatoes in several varieties and pack styles. Selling multiple types, from russets to small specialty potatoes, lets the company serve different buyers.
Custom packing for other growers
Since 1989 the company has packed potatoes for other growers. That turns the packing house into a service business and keeps equipment and labor busy beyond the farm's own crop.
Community and wholesale relationships
The company lists community partnerships, and distributor directories list the farm as a regional supplier, which gives it wholesale access to food service and retail buyers across the Northeast.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from SWAZ Potato Farms
SWAZ shows that scale in a small state can be built on one crop done thoroughly. Growing, grading, storing and packing in-house keeps the product consistent and lets the company sell throughout the year rather than only at harvest.
The packing-for-others model is a practical lesson. A packing line is a fixed cost, and adding neighboring growers' potatoes spreads that cost and strengthens the local supply base. Other regions' vegetable growers can look at co-packing or shared storage as a way to afford better equipment.
There are few foods more dependable than a potato, and few farms more dependable than one that has been digging them since 1910. At farm.FM our farm satire desk has a soft spot for the Little Swazies, whose name sounds like a boy band for tiny spuds. Our farm humor and ranch humor writers agree that a potato never needs a sequel, though we will always make room for farm jokes about eyes, skins and mashing, all offered with affection for Hatfield's growers.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact SWAZ Potato Farms
Website: https://www.swazpotato.com/
Address: 107 Main Street, PO Box 9, Hatfield, MA 01038
Phone: (413) 247-9240
Address and phone are as published on the company's own history page, checked November 2026. Confirm before visiting or placing orders.
SWAZ Potato Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- SWAZ Potato Farms - The company's official website
- Baldor farm listing - Distributor listing of the farm as a regional supplier
- Local UMass: Swaz Potato Farms - Local sourcing page for the farm
- Massachusetts agriculture facts - State agriculture department statistics
- UMass agriculture organizations - University directory of Massachusetts farm and horticulture groups
SWAZ Potato Farms FAQ
Where is SWAZ Potato Farms?
The company is headquartered on Main Street in Hatfield, Massachusetts, with fields in six Pioneer Valley towns.
How many acres does it farm?
Its own site says it has 1,500 acres under production.
What varieties does it grow?
White, red, gold (Yukon Gold) and russet potatoes, plus Little Swazies and salt potatoes.
Does it pack for other farms?
Yes, the company says it has packed potatoes for other growers since 1989.
SWAZ Potato Farms shows how a family operation can anchor a region's vegetable trade for more than a century. To see how it fits the state picture, read the Massachusetts farms guide and the other profiled operations.