The purchase of Giant Produce in Parma, ID, earlier this year has proven a sound move for Champion Produce Sales, according to John Wong and Dwayne Fisher, CPS principals.

In June the two men said bringing Giant, renamed Champion West, under Champion Produce ownership would increase efficiency, with that facility set to produce 400 loads of onions during the season. Champion West, which underwent upgrades and started running 2015 onions on Sept. 1, is being used primarily to pack 50-pound mesh bags and 2,000-pound totes.The team at Champion Produce Sales is made up of Dwayne Fisher, Cheryl Leavitt, Ross Sevy, Monica Gibbens, Brad Dines, DeDe Fogg and John Wong. (Photo courtesy of Champion Produce Sales)

Its railside location, with seven doors for loading, also increases Champion’s capacity for rail. Wong and Fisher said rail loads are expected to begin in late September or early October, although escalating rail prices could affect the extent they use that mode of transportation. The earlier onions are being shipped by truck, and Ross Sevy, who works sales and transportation, said trucks “haven’t been too bad so far.”

Addressing this year’s crop, Wong said harvest got under way on Aug. 6, the earliest ever start date.

“We had the opportunity to harvest earlier than normal,” he said in late August, adding that onions were scheduled to start going into storage around Sept. 10.

“Everything so far is looking really good,” Wong said. “The temperatures have been below 90, which is good, and we’ve been able to field cure 10 to 14 days ahead of schedule.

“Our growing conditions were good overall during the summer, and our sizing is normal. We’ll have supers and colossals coming in, and we do have a few now.”

Champion runs mostly yellow Spanish Sweets, but reds make up nearly 15 percent of its total volume. Whites comprise about 12 percent.

“We continue to see an increase in volume on reds, which are going mostly to foodservice,” Wong said.

Foodservice is the largest component of Champion’s customer base, but Fisher and Wong said retail is making inroads.

“We do some two- and three-pound retail bags, but foodservice is by far the biggest segment of our business,” Wong said.

On the matter of food safety, Fisher said each of the Champion facilities is Certified Onions Inc.-inspected and certified, and he noted that Theresa Bond, who had previously been a part of the Giant staff, is working with Champion food-safety officer Brad Dines as an operations assistant at the Champion West shed.

Prices during the early season were described as good, and Fisher said, “We should have strong f.o.b.s all year.”

Wong added, “There are positive discussions concerning exports of Washington onions, and we’re pretty confident about what we have here as we ship excellent quality out of the Treasure Valley. The added packing out of Champion West should be favorable for our sales as we continue to refine what we do.”