IDAHO FALLS, ID - In our industry, every minute counts. So, I won’t waste any time in sharing the latest insights I received on the onion market through a recent conversation with Eagle Eye Produce’s Dallin Klingler, Marketing and Communications.

“Pricing across the onion category has softened over the past few weeks as the Northwest harvest season started. Inflation, rising input costs, and tight supplies contributed to onion pricing spiking to all-time highs this summer,” says Dallin. “The market is still above where it has been historically, as there needed to be an adjustment to make up for the new costs taken on by growers and packers, but it has softened. We hope it will stabilize somewhere where growers, shippers, and buyers will all remain profitable.”

Pricing for larger-sized onions, as Dallin noted, will remain elevated due to tight supplies this season, as onion crops throughout the Northwest are trending smaller than normal.

Recently kicking off its storage season, Eagle Eye is currently shipping onions from growing regions in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The grower is reporting adequate supplies of jumbo and medium-sized onions, with limited colossal and super colossal sizes available.

“A cold and wet early growing season led to smaller-than-normal sizing for the industry, but in terms of quality, we could not be happier,” Dallin shares. “The weather this harvest season has also been great so far, and our harvest crews are making great progress throughout our growing regions.”

To meet strong category demand, Eagle Eye has bolstered its supply throughout the Western United States, more than doubling its volume out of the Northwest over the past two years. In addition, the supplier continues to build new relationships with local partners in New Mexico, Texas, and California, to strengthen its year-round supply.

As part of its focus to bring on new small-pack business, the company also recently started shipping Harvest Select® onions with individual PLU labels for its retail partners, and Eagle Eye can now pack everything from 2 lb bags all the way up to the traditional bulk bags and bins. With a variety of packaging options and an offering that lends itself to versatility, retailers can drive onion sales through various seasonal promotions and events.

“We always recommend cross-merchandising with produce items like salads, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and more. Onions also add color to any produce display, so finding new ways to build out displays with other colorful produce can always help boost sales,” advises Dallin. “Now that consumers are cooking at home more, signage helping them find new ways to include onions in their day-to-day cooking habits will lead to an overall boost in onion consumption.”

To keep a tab on all the categories in the produce department, keep clicking on ANUK.

Eagle Eye Produce