Vidalia onions shine at retail

Retailers have numerous packaging options for merchandising Vidalia onions, but the product itself may be the most important marketing tool, growers and shippers say.

“It’s pretty simple with Vidalia onions: if you put the signage out there, they’ll sell themselves,” said Delbert Bland, president of Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms LLC.

Retailers need only let their customers know Vidalias are in stock, and the product moves, Bland said.

“With regular onions, you have to do a lot of promotions and carrying on but, with Vidalias, the main thing is getting (consumers) to understand you have them,” he said.

It helps to give the onions visibility, so shoppers will find them readily, said John Shuman, president of Reidsville, Ga.-based Shuman Produce Inc.

“Promotions and product placement help to drive sales,” he said. “Vidalia onions are a great time to take advantage of outdoor grilling season and major holidays like Memorial Day and July 4. We recommend increasing the size of displays during these ad periods to increase sales.”

Retail sales are strong, year after year, Shuman said.

“Sweet onions continue to drive overall category sales and we see this trend continuing because of their versatility of uses and sweet, mild flavor,” he said.

It’s also important to note retailers’ packaging needs, Shuman said.

“Bags and bulk are the preferred packaging on sweet onions,” he said.

“In addition, we offer bins, display-ready cartons, and a variety of consumer bag options to fill the needs of every customer.”

Bags seem to be gaining momentum, said Kevin Hendrix, vice president of Hendrix Produce Inc. in Metter, Ga.

“The past couple of years, we’ve been doing a lot of 3-pound bags,” Hendrix said. “I think it has a lot to do with price point, but I’m not sure.”

Lyons, Ga.-based L.G. Herndon Jr. Farms Inc. has noted the trend and now offers an array of bag sizes, said John Williams, sales and marketing director.

“The consumer bags — 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-pound bags — are very popular, and some of our retail customers take only bags,” he said.

Displays are important to sales, too, Williams said.

“When onions are on ad, they put them on end caps,” he said.

“They’re also in other locations in the produce department. We have one customer that puts these bins up front, as their customers come in the store. So, it’s an opportunity to let the consumer know they’re available now. All that plays into our favor, as far as marketing our onions.”

Suppliers need to be flexible, since customer needs vary widely, said Walt Dasher, co-owner of G&R Farms in Glennville.

“I think you have a lot of retailers who are very what I call open-floor-space style retailers and want clean, open aisles,” he said.

“They don’t want a lot of different looks in their stores. I see more of a trend that they prefer to stay with a bulk jumbo size or colossal spec. On the other hand, with the retailers who like to mix things up a bit, we’re seeing more and more interest in the consumer packs and bag items.”

Eye appeal counts in bag sales, Dasher said.

“From an ad standpoint, we’ve got a lot of good capabilities to get creative with the artwork,” he said.

“You can get some really neat looks and recipes on the bags that are eye-catching. So, bags have gained a lot of steam in the last 10 years, and I see that continuing to grow.”