REIDSVILLE, GA - If the words “New Year” and “sweet onions” don’t immediately correlate in your mind, I’m here to tell you that they absolutely should. As consumers are seeking out healthy dishes to keep their resolutions on track, sweet onions offer the taste and quality they’re looking to add. To take the temperature of both the state of the market and merchandising tips, I tapped John Shuman, President and CEO of Shuman Farms.

“We will continue to have an excellent supply of RealSweet® Peruvian sweet onions at a promotable volume now through March,” John shared with me, noting that during Shuman Farms’ 2018-2019 sweet onion season, it imported nearly 1,100 containers of RealSweet for U.S. distribution. “This season, we plan on having a similar production.”

Reporting excellent quality, Shuman Farms is shipping its RealSweets now and expects to continue until late March. It also has promotable volumes of organic sweet onions available for shipping.

While the sweet onion grower has the supplies, it details how merchandising plays a significant role in getting consumers to add sweet onions to the basket.

“We recommend that retailers create secondary displays throughout the produce department and store that complement items such as bagged salads, peppers, mushrooms, and potatoes,” John shared. “The versatility and mild flavor of a sweet onion allow it to be the perfect ingredient for any dish, especially party favorites like salsa, guacamole, and other dips. We encourage retailers to include RealSweet sweet onions in their merchandising plans for the Big Game to capitalize on incremental sales and extra market basket dollars.”

Another component that increases the likelihood of shoppers adding RealSweet to their grocery list is its sustainable packaging.

“The revamp of our organic packaging is just the beginning of an overall initiative to increase sustainability across all of our RealSweet brand products. Innovative marketing is a part of our core values, as we believe that innovations should lead to more sustainability offerings at retail following trends of consumer and retailer demand,” John remarked.

With the use of different netting and thinner film, plastic in Shuman’s new organic consumer bags was reduced by 38 percent while maintaining the structural integrity of the packaging.

Retailers, as you continue to build out your winter veg programs, look to Shuman Farms. And as always, keep reading AndNowUKnow for the latest in produce.

Shuman Farms