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are often imitated but never duplicated,” says Stafford. “Vidalia onions have a texture no one else can get. Ours’ taste better.”
Shoppers know Vidalias well. “Vidalia onions are widely recognized by consumers, allowing our retail partners unique merchan- dising opportunities during the summer months,” says Kelby Werner, operations manager at Glennville’s G&R Farms.
The Vidalia reputation remains strong. “The Vidalia onion is a name people recog- nize and a name that people look for and
anticipate,” says Steve Roberson, president of Hazlehurst, GA-based Roberson Onion Corp. “It’s still the best sweet onion.”
SWEET CATEGORY
That anticipation is real, says Lauren Dees, marketing manager, Generation Farms, Lake Park, GA. “There is a definite buildup of excite- ment starting early spring,” she says. “People are certainly excited to know when they can expect to see their favorite sweet onion.”
What makes a Vidalia onion special?
The onion’s distinctive taste is derived from a combination of weather, water and soil uniquely foundwithin20SouthGeorgiacounties.“We have a low sulphur soil,” says Stafford. “It all seems to be just a perfect matchup for a good sweet onion. It really works.”
In 1931, Moses Coleman expected to dig a regular hot onion from the Southeast Georgia ground but discovered his onions were sweeter than others. Others began growing them. As people traveling through the region who purchased them would tell others where they found them, requests increased and Vida- lia’s reputation spread. When the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain began selling them, sales increased. The deal became much bigger during the 1980s.
“We’ve come a long way since the Vidalia onion’s accidental discovery in the 1930s, says Julie McPeake, chief communications officer for the Georgia Department of Agriculture. “While still grown with great care, you no longer need to travel to South Georgia each spring and summer to purchase this flavorful sweet onion. We are proudly found on shelves across the United States and select locations in Canada.”
TASTY INSPIRATION
The Vidalia onion inspired development of other sweet onions. “It was so well-received and preferred by consumers that retailers started to demand a year-round sweet onion program,” says Shuman. “So we looked for areas outside of Georgia where we could grow sweet onions with similar characteristics of the Vidalia onion, and finally landed in Peru. Now we are able to provide sweet onions to retailers and consumers 12 months out of the year.”
Vidalia onion growers have made a name for themselves, says Jeff Brechler, salesman withEdinburg,TX-based J&DProduce,Inc., which markets Vidalia onions grown by M&T Farms in Lyons, GA. “Vidalias have a strong name in the industry,” he says. “They’re partic- ularly popular in the Midwest, on the Eastern Seaboard and in the New England states.”
That name recognition and rich history helps Vidalia sales. Lloyd Richter, a partner with Charlotte, NC-based Richter and Co., Inc., says he remembers 40 years ago when Charlotte shoppers could only purchase Vidalias from a handful of specialty grocers. “Their unique taste and mildness helped catch the imagination of a lot of people for fresh salads and cooking,” he says. “They’re a classic produce industry branding success.”
Vidalia sourcing helps relieve some of the trucking headaches for customers on the East
64 / MARCH 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS