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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

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