Peru's century variety builds strong following, onion shippers say

Despite a veritable palette of sweet onion varieties available out of Peru, buyers remain loyal to the century, marketers say.

"Ninety-five percent of what's planted is century," said Delbert Bland, owner of Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms LLC.

The century is one of a number of sweet onion varieties Bland grows for its Vidalia sweet onion crop, he noted.

"It just seems to yield better and the shape of it is more conducive to the Vidalia crop," Bland said.

The century offers attributes customers expect of a sweet onion, Bland said.

"It's a very mild onion, and it's bright and pretty and flat, and there's less pungency than other varieties," he said.

The century also is suited to Peru's desert climate, Bland said.

"We would grow a lot more of that variety in Georgia if we didn't have the weather conditions we do here," he said. "We don't have any rain in Peru, so you don't have to deal with the disease pressure there."

John Williams, sales director for Lyons, Ga.-based L.G. Herndon Jr. Farms Inc., agreed with Bland's assessment.

"That variety does the best in Peru with their very sandy soil," he said. "As a farmer, you're looking at yields, the skin and actually when we grow the century here, it's still a great-tasting onion but it doesn't quite have the appearance it has in Peru."

Indeed, since Peru is the ideal climate for the century, it makes sense to grow as many as possible, Williams said.

"It's one of our top three best-tasting onions, but it doesn't look quite as good as some of our other varieties here; in Peru, it does," he said.

The century isn't the only onion Herndon ships out of Peru, though, Williams said.

"They tried other varieties there and will continue to try new varieties; you hate to have all eggs in that basket," he said.

Not all grower-shippers go with the century as their first choice, however. Triple A Produce and Oso Sweet Onion Co. goes with the century as a "secondary" variety, with the company focusing on a proprietary sweet onion that sales director Mark Breimeister declined to identify.

"I won't say what it is because we buy as much as we can from the particular seed company that provides it," he said of the preferred variety.

The century's reputation makes it a reliable product to ship out of Peru, though, said John Shuman, president/sales director of Reidsville, Ga.-based Shuman Produce Inc.

"The century variety simply outperforms any other variety that has been introduced in Peru," he said.

The century also provides a key element of consistency, with its flat shape and other characteristics it shares with the traditional Vidalia onion said Ralph Diaz, export and import sales manager with Sunbury, Pa.-based Karpinski Trucking & Produce.

"I think it has a lot to do with the Vidalia, being a flat onion - that's the variety of choice," he said. "There are other varieties, but 95% of the people buying a Peruvian onion want a flat onion."

The century has a comprehensive package of attributes that lead to strong sales, said Barry Rogers, president of Grant, Fla.-based Sweet Onion Trading Corp.

"It's a nice-looking onion, and it's got a good taste, plus, in a desert climate, it's probably the most forgiving onion to grow," he said. "You can plant it a little earlier, a little later."

Walt Dasher, co-owner of Glennville, Ga.-based G&R Farms, agreed.

"It gives great yields, great flavor and has the ability to last very long for U.S. consumers," he said.