Sweet Tears

Not many vegetables have the taste and versatility of an onion. Whether it be a sweet, red, white or another type, nearly every recipe calls for their inclusion. 

“No other vegetable adds as wide a range of flavor and texture,” says Teri Gibson, director, marketing and customer relations for Peri & Sons Farms, based in Yerington, Nev. “They can be the star of a meal or they can be a subtle background player. With so many onion varieties, the possibilities are endless.”

One of the more popular onion types continues to be the sweet onion. Industry observers estimate that sweet onions account for more than a third of overall category sales. John Shuman, president of Shuman Produce, based in Reidsville, Ga., says the year-round availability of sweet onions is driving the trend, as well as sales of other products in the store.  

“Research we have conducted with Nielsen shows that sweet onions drive sales of many other items—in and outside of the produce department,” he says. “In addition, baskets containing sweet onions are roughly 40 percent larger than those that do not.”

While the recently past holiday season is traditionally the top-selling sweet onion period, because of their versatility, retailers can—and—should promote sweet onions year-round, says Jeff Rhoden, senior sales manager for Bland Farms, based in Glennville, Ga.

“The winter months are excellent times to promote and advertise sweet onions,” he says. “Consumers are looking for onions for recipes that I consider typical winter meals, such as soups, stews, chili and pot roasts just to name a few. Our research shows that consumers are not only looking for product identification, but are also looking to be educated on different ways to use sweet onions.” 

Bland Farms helps retailers promote sweet onions by offering signage, attractive packaging and recipes, adds Rhoden. “Another way we help is by offering cross-promotional items such as our Vidalia Brands items and snack bag items,” he says. “This provides excellent promotional opportunities as well as additional sales.”

Depending on the season, Peri & Sons offers a variety of package designs to help retailers keep displays new and attractive. “Eat Brighter!, Peri & Sons BBQ Bloomer, PINK (for breast cancer awareness) and Sweetie Sweet are some of the promotional products we offer retailers throughout the year,” says Gibson. 

In addition to the holiday season, the grilling months, which are the peak sweet onion growing season time, logically provide strong sweet onion sales. During this time, Shuman Produce provides its retailers with large display units. “We also recommend that retailers use our smaller secondary display units for promotion outside the produce department during peak season and holiday time to take advantage of incremental sales,” says Shuman. He says these smaller displays work particularly well in the meat department.  

Cross merchandising is another tool retailers can use to drive sweet onion sales. Observers say sweet onions pair well with many items, including mushrooms, tomatoes, avocadoes, peppers, and of course, garlic. Placing sweet onions in the center of the produce department, particularly during high volume times, can emphasize their versatility and importance in the kitchen. 

“By creating a display using our high quality bags, bins and boxes that all work to complement each other and feature our product in bright colorful imagery, retailers can draw the consumers’ eyes,” says Shuman. 

Beyond displays, Shuman Produce will be kicking off its “How to Speak Southern 2.0” campaign at SEPC’s Southern Exposure show in March. Shuman says this year’s campaign will include various promotional and marketing aspects that retailers can use both in-store and online to promote RealSweet Vidalia onions. 

Also in 2017, Shuman Produce will continue to offer its on-pack IRC campaign to its retail partners. “Along with offers from each of the partner products, each retailer-specific coupon booklet features a recipe,” says Shuman. “The consumer gets the added value of a meal solution along with discounted ingredients, while the retailer has a built-in cross merchandising tool that results in a larger basket at checkout.”

What also goes well with onions is dressing. Vidalia brands, a division of Bland Farms, is gearing up to release a variety of all-natural dressings which contains no preservatives, MSG, artificial colors or flavors, trans fats or high-fructose corn syrup. 

Here’s to Your Health

Taste and versatility may be the main drivers behind sweet onion sales, but the health factor cannot be overlooked. Sweet onions are fat- and cholesterol-free, low in sodium and high in antioxidants. They also fit nicely into the increasingly popular “flexitarian” lifestyle, defined as a person whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish.

“This approach has been proven to support good health and aid in the prevention of diabetes, digestive disorders, and heart and blood pressure problems,” says Gibson. “And, the New Year always sparks renewed interest in healthy eating habits. This year ‘clean’ eating is front-and-center and it presents a great opportunity for onions. Retailers can carry the clean-eating message well beyond the first couple months of the year.” 

Shuman adds that sweet onion shoppers are also more likely to be fresh and healthy premium shoppers who prefer home cooked meals, purchase specialty items and are more likely to buy products used in ethnic cooking. 

Giddy for Garlic

Another on-trend healthy item—that certainly goes well with onions—is garlic. Michael Layous, sales and marketing representative for Bakersfield, Calif.-based The Garlic Co., says as more people become health conscious, garlic is a great way to add flavor to food without adding calories. “It has also become a substitute for consumers trying to eat less salt,” he adds. 

The placement of garlic can affect sales. “Some retailers develop stand-alones to display the different packs of non-refrigerated garlic, including bulk garlic, small bags and jarred product,” says Layous. “Others choose to position garlic next to complementary food products, such as hanging small bags of whole bulbs down the aisle where a consumer can find pasta or placing garlic next to the tomatoes, avocadoes or onions.”