While the humble onion is a staple in many kitchens, the business of value-added onions is evolving. Megan Jacobsen of Gills Onions shares some insights on the developments in that part of the industry.
The Gills Onions team in a Bakersfield, California field.
Yellow tops the colors: Within the foodservice world, yellow and red onions are the most popular onion choices. "Yellow is the dominant color within foodservice," says Jacobsen. After all, while red onions tend to be used more as a fresh ingredient on top of a dish–think rings topping a burger or a sandwich–yellow is often the onion of choice for chefs to cook with. "For us, more than 90 percent of our business is yellow onions and that's because of the magic that's happening at the back end of the kitchen."
The dominance of yellow has been growing over time. "Also, given the way they are used in recipes, we see continued growth there," adds Jacobsen, adding that a celebrity chef once told her that every great savory recipe starts with three ingredients: onion, olive oil, and garlic.
Jacobsen says as populations continue to shift, onion needs in foodservice will also develop.
New ways to serve onions: Population shifts are also developing onion needs. "With population shifts you see different types of restaurants open to cater to those populations–particularly in major cities as they continue to grow," says Jacobsen, noting that its star product for value-added foodservice onions is the diced onion, followed by the whole peeled onion. "Onions are used in all cultures so we're thinking about different sizes and different cuts to serve some of these areas that aren't being serviced right now."
Sustainability is also a priority in value-added: "We took advantage of the pandemic and post-pandemic world when volumes were shifting to focus on our infrastructure and doing major upgrades," says Jacobsen. That meant it took a closer look at its sustainability work and those upgrades have added up to a more than 20 percent reduction in energy for Gills Onions over those four years.
The LaserWeeder in action. Photo: Carbon Robotics
Investing in technology: One of those upgrades included investing in a Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder which can kill up to 200,000 weeds/hour. The weeder purchased by Gill's is the 52nd machine in the world and in its second season with the company. The initiative also ties back into sustainability given it reduces the company's dependence on herbicide as a weed deterrent. "We're investing in technology now–we have been committed to that for a decade but more heavily since the pandemic," says Jacobsen.
For more information:
Megan Jacobsen
Gills Onions
Tel: +1 (559) 284-4851
[email protected]
www.GillsOnions.com