Vidalia onions will enjoy a big spring and summer season, said Heidi McIntyre, marketing consultant for Glennville, Ga.-based G&R Farms.
G&R Farms grows about 1,500 acres a year, including both conventional and organic Vidalia onions. About 4% of the company’s onions are organic, she said, and that percentage has been increasing.
“The quality this year is exceptional,” McIntyre said. “Last year, weather issues reduced the Vidalia onion supply in general, so the supplies are way up this year.”
McIntyre said G&R started to see demand pick up dramatically during the 2020 Vidalia season due to COVID-19 as consumers were stocking up on onions as a staple item.
“That demand has remained strong throughout the entire Peru season (from August through March) so we expect this will continue through our Vidalia season,” McIntyre said.
Marketing
G&R Farms has significantly expanded its annual Growing America’s Farmers promotion, which is entering its sixth year, she said. The program added a wide range of activities to engage shoppers both in-store and online. The activities, she said, include online digital marketing, consumer public relations, co-marketing and coordination with local, state and national FFA programs and possible cross-promotional opportunities with other produce department or store-requested brands and products.
Packaging push
Sustainability is a leading packaging trend, and G&R bag and box packaging is 100% recyclable, McIntyre said. “We
recently redesigned our Vidalia onion bag, box and bin packaging in keeping with our new brand image,” she said.
“The consumer-friendly design includes new photography showcasing our third-generation family farm along with our Grown with Passion, Served with Pride tagline. The new look has provided us with an opportunity to tell our story, especially on our new Vidalia bag packaging.”
She said the back of the bag features information for consumers to download a free recipe booklet from the G&R Farms website called “Taste the Memories.” The e-book highlights the farm’s family’s history, family recipes and provides information on how to store and prepare sweet onions, she said.
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Onion consumption on the rise
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