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PACKAGING TRENDS<br />
“I think advances in packaging are<br />
giving shippers and retailers new ways<br />
to market onions,” says Shannon Kyle<br />
with sales at Elba, NY-based Torrey<br />
Farms. “Convenient pack sizes made<br />
from environmentally-friendly packaging<br />
and the ‘less is more’ approach<br />
are appealing to many consumers.”<br />
Kyle also thinks loose onions in bulk<br />
displays are appealing to consumers<br />
who prefer to hand select their produce.<br />
She also believes graphic floor display<br />
bins are great ways to drive traffic to<br />
the onion category by allowing for<br />
multiple merchandising positions.<br />
“Each retailer has its own preference<br />
for bulk and loose and the percent mix<br />
they go with,” says Matt Curry, president<br />
of Curry and Company, based in Brooks,<br />
OR. “During the start of the month, bags<br />
often do well as people store up on their<br />
onions for the month.” Curry sees sweet<br />
onions as an opportunity for seasonal<br />
marketing and recognizes the impact of<br />
food shows and magazines in driving<br />
consumers to particular products. Produce<br />
executives should capitalize on this free<br />
asset. “When one of the foodie magazines<br />
features an onion recipe on the cover,<br />
consider putting that issue on display next<br />
to onions. I bet it drives some sales.”<br />
Susan A. Waters, executive director for<br />
Vidalia, GA-based Vidalia Onion Committee,<br />
has some numbers on how consumers<br />
are purchasing packaged onions. “Our<br />
research indicates 48 percent of consumers<br />
surveyed have purchased Vidalia onions<br />
in five-pound bags or less. The highgraphic<br />
D-pack bag has really added to<br />
the growth of Vidalia sales and provides<br />
a great platform to educate consumers<br />
with nutritional information and recipes.”<br />
While there are many layers to onion<br />
merchandising, they are a relatively<br />
easy sell if promoted correctly. Retail<br />
produce managers who use the available<br />
tools and tips effectively will increase<br />
sales of all varieties year-round. pb<br />
local shoppers and are given some freedom to<br />
address their needs, even if they are outside the<br />
corporate template, will be seen and rewarded<br />
for being more authentic and connected.”<br />
“Since onions are so versatile and used in<br />
such a wide variety of ethnic dishes, they are<br />
one of the easiest vegetables to promote to<br />
a variety of demographics,” says Kitamura.<br />
“The easiest way to achieve this is to identify<br />
the demographics the retailer is promoting to<br />
and find appropriate recipes to display along<br />
with onions.”<br />
Shuman sees ethnic dishes as an opportunity<br />
for onion sales and for the home cook<br />
in general. “Sweet onion shoppers are likely<br />
to be fresh-and-health-oriented premium<br />
shoppers who prefer home cooked meals,<br />
purchase specialty items and are more likely<br />
to buy products that suggest an ethnic skew,<br />
like Mexican and Italian meals.”<br />
Shuman’s year-round sweet onion program<br />
provides a consistent supply of sweet onions<br />
for retailers to take advantage of and increase<br />
their register rings all year long. pb<br />
PRODUCE BUSINESS / AUGUST 2016 / 77