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Peruvian Onions — Maintaining The “Sweet” Year Round
All signs point to a good crop of average volume that’s expected a little earlier than usual, making for a “smooth transition” from U.S. product.
The Peruvian onion is waiting to hit its stride. A relative of the well- known Vidalia sweet onion from Georgia, the two share a similar seed line. Consumers discover it in
the fall, following the end of the traditional season for Vidalias and Walla Walla sweet onions from Washington.
Onions, as with all vegetables, are a part of the new Produce for Better Health Foun- dation campaign, Have a Plant. e Peru- vian onion and other onion varieties provide vitamin C, along with plenty of phytochem- icals and the type of ber that helps nourish intestinal bacteria. An increased marketing commitment on the part of grower/shippers and retailers could rmly anchor this onion in the family of fall vegetables.
SOLID SUPPLY
Grower/shippers align in their assess- ment of this year’s sweet onion crop. Michael Blume, sales representative for Keystone Fruit Marketing, Greencastle, PA, notes the crop looks good and is of average volume. Keystone brought in the rst onions in early August and anticipates ample supplies through the end of February as cultivation and harvesting move up the long Peruvian coast as temperatures warm.
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Michael Cutler, of Michael Cutler Co., Olyphant, PA, likewise expects a good crop with several months of promotable volume. He notes this year’s crop is hitting the marketplace earlier because of a mild winter in Peru.
“ is matches well with the demand in the U.S. onion market for sweet onions,” says Cutler. “ ere will be a smooth transition from Vidalia and other domestic programs into the Peruvian onion.”
Prominent in the Peruvian onion industry, Shuman Farms in Reidsville, GA, imported nearly 1,100 containers of Peruvian sweet onions for U.S. distribution in 2018-2019. John Shuman, president and chief executive, expects this year to be similar.
“ is season, we plan on having similar
production to last year,” says Shuman. “Containers, however, were not loaded as scheduled in early August, but we are con - dent volumes will improve, and we will be back to normal supplies and sizing by the end of August. Quality on the early harvest has been excellent.” Because of the weather-related slow start of the season, shipments of early Peruvian onions included a higher-than-usual percentage of mediums and smaller jumbos.
“We’re facing an overall shortage of onions industrywide, so that could keep prices a bit higher,” says Blume. “Generally, Peruvian sweet onions can be promoted as $0.99 to $1.69 per pound.”
STABILIZING THE MARKET
Shuman labels Peruvian sweet onions as the premium sweet onion during the fall and winter months. “Combine fall/winter Peruvian sweet onions with spring/summer Vidalias of similar shape, color, and avor pro le, and you have an 11-month supply providing category consistency,” he says. “ is consistency can be used to educate consumers on what to look for in a sweet onion and will drive sales for everyone for both types of onions.”
“If retailers merchandise Peruvian sweet onions the same way they do with Vidalias,
BY MINDY HERMANN
PHOTO COURTESY OF BLAND FARMS