While supermarket shoppers have shown strong loyalty to Vidalia onions, Peruvian sweet onions have gained significant consumer confidence over the years as a high-quality, consistent alternative when Vidalias are not available, says Mike Tipton, vice president of produce and floral for Schnuck Markets Inc., a chain of 112 stores based in St. Louis.
“The transition is seamless, and we maintain steady category volume as customers recognize Peruvian onions as the go-to sweet onion during the off-season,” Tipton says.
As Vidalia supplies wind down, Peruvian onions transition into the same display space as Vidalias.
“They are typically located in-line with our main onion assortment,” Tipton says. “During peak promotional periods, we use additional merchandising bins near the front of the department to maximize visibility.”
Schnucks typically displays Peruvian sweet onions in 4-by-4-foot promotional bins or 5-foot endcaps, he says.
The stores offer loose onions and 3-pound bags.
“Loose onions allow for personal selection, while our packaged options provide convenience for larger holiday meals,” Tipton says. “The ratio typically shifts toward packaged during the peak holiday season to support high-volume, ‘grab-and-go’ shopping.”
Peruvian onions are promoted with similar frequency to Vidalias because they’re essential to maintaining the onion category’s sales throughout the fall and winter months, he says.
Tipton cross-merchandises Peruvian sweet onions with a variety of complementary items “to build larger basket sizes.”
“Sweet onions are incredibly versatile,” he says. “We frequently cross-merchandise them with other staples, like potatoes, celery and stuffing mixes during the holidays, as well as dips and party tray accompaniments.”
Pricing of Peruvian onions is market-driven and reflects the cost of the new crop from Peru as well as current supply chain factors, he adds.
“Each season is unique, and we adjust our retail pricing to remain competitive while reflecting the landed cost of the product,” Tipton says.
No matter the source, sweet onions are a high-volume staple and consistently rank in the top tier of Schnucks onion category performance.
“While we see significant volume spikes during the fall/winter holidays, the category performs reliably year-round due to the consumer preference for sweet flavor profiles,” Tipton says.
Peruvian onions have become the industry gold standard for high-quality sweet onions during the Vidalia off-season, he adds.
“The supply chain has matured significantly, and the quality and consistency of the current Peruvian crop are excellent, effectively filling the gap left by Vidalia sweet onions,” Tipton says.
