Onion growers are seeing great demand on red onions, causing an uplift in the market on this color. Movement and subsequent pricing on other varieties is holding steady, with yellow onions now recovering after a slow period. The majority of onion supply right now is coming from New Mexico and California.
"Red onions have been a top seller lately," said Falon Rufty of Onions 52. "There has been pretty steady demand overall, but reds have seen the fastest movement. The tight supplies on red onions have seen prices rise. Whites have seen consistent pricing and yellows have been modestly active on consumer packs. Prices will likely level out once the Northwest crop begins. Onions 52 grows and ships the highest quality onions, fifty-two weeks a year, and we currently have supplies of yellow, red and white onions in both New Mexico and California. We are also producing beautiful organic onions out of California and certified Sweets out of New Mexico."
Falon Rufty with an individually-wrapped onion at United Fresh in Chicago last month
Washington to start in a matter of weeks
Regarding the Northwest onion crop, the Washington onion season is due to make a start on August 1, bringing onions of all colors and sizes to the market. Conditions have been favorable, with ideal growing weather for all regions.
"We expect to start harvesting all colors at the end of this month," Rufty shared. "We have also been busy planting our Utah crop for next season. Growing conditions have been impeccable, with dry and sunny conditions providing an ideal start to the season. Our Washington growers are renowned for producing 'cream of the crop' onions, so we are eager to start packing and shipping those very soon."
Individually-wrapped onions
New packaging to differentiate organic and conventional
This season, Onions 52 recently introduced individually wrapped onions in mesh bags. The primary reason is to help differentiate organic produce from conventional at the retail level. Each individual wrapped onion will be tagged according to color and are recyclable to avoid unnecessary plastic.
Rufty explains, "This type of packaging is beneficial for both consumers and retailers, for several reasons. The single wrapped onion will allow for better accuracy when it comes to correct scanning at checkout. It will not only avoid incorrect PLU entries, but will also ensure accurate monitoring of produce movement through the store."
"This has been a concern for produce managers for quite some time now," she continued. "and we are overjoyed to share this creative solution with all of our onion enthusiasts."
For more information:
Falon Rufty
Director of Marketing and Business Development
Onions 52
Tel: +1 (801) 773-0630