The Peruvian sweet onion season is winding down as the industry gets ready to transition production to Vidalia, Georgia for the Vidalia onion season. "We are wrapping up our Peruvian season and we've got adequate supply on hand to manage retail and wholesale customers. We anticipate a smooth transition into Vidalia," says Brian Kastick of Hillcrest Produce.
© Hillcrest Produce Co.
This follows a season that has seen good quality onions out of Peru. The strength of that program serves as a reminder that there are indeed two sweet onion programs serving the market: Vidalia and Peru. "There are others that people call sweet but they don't have either the size or the profile that makes them not retail ready," says Kastick. "Vidalia and Peru are two consistent sources of supply to grow an onion that you can differentiate as sweet."
As he notes, that point of differentiation is critical. "You want the sweet onion to look different and justify the higher retail price. It's flatter, sweeter, brighter, and it has a more polished appearance. That gives customers the experience they want cooking with them in the kitchen and the retailers the experience they want with the higher ring through," Kastick says.
Looking ahead at Vidalia's season
Meanwhile, the company is getting ready for the start date of its Vidalia onion season which is slated to begin mid-April, as per the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Vidalia Onion Committee. "The Vidalia crop is looking great. A lot of people were concerned because of that cold snap and thought that we would have challenges this year," says Kastick. "We have found in the past that when we have these colder winters, it knocks back the disease and insect pressure and you end up with a cleaner crop. That is a lot less pressure on the crop."
© Hillcrest Produce Co.
Demand is expected to be strong–possibly stronger than last year–particularly given the onion could be considered an affordable luxury item at a time when consumers are watching their grocery budgets closely and are also cooking more often at home.
For more information:
Brian Kastick
Hillcrest Produce
Tel: +1 (800) 258-6646
[email protected]
https://www.ososweetonions.com/
