Looking for a product that could equal its hallmark Vidalia onions in quality, taste and appearance, Shuman Produce Inc. of Reidsville, GA started its Peruvian program in 1998, importing just a handful of containers. Now Shuman has become one of the nation’s leading players in the Peruvian deal.

“Any time you go to a new growing region, you spend years and countless hours gaining experience and knowledge of who, what, where and when,” said owner John Shuman. “When it’s all said and done and you’ve earned that trade equity, you’ve gotten the experience of how to grow, where to grow and who your partners are. It wasn’t until 2004-05 that my brother and General Manager Mark Shuman and I really started putting a focus on the Peruvian program and seeing it grow.”

The deal has mushroomed from there.

Shuman Produce of Reidsville, GA, is famous for Vidalia onions, but it also a leading importer of Peruvian sweets as part of its year-round program. (Photo courtesy of Shuman Produce)“With the American consumer as well as the produce trade, the popularity of the Peruvian sweet onion is growing every year, even with the advent of the domestic round sweet onion in the fall and winter,” Shuman said. “The Peruvian sweet onion exhibits all the characteristics of a Vidalia onion, the flatter shape, the brighter skin color, all the attributes the American consumer has come to expect, particularly east of the Mississippi River.”

The Peruvian and Vidalia seasons dovetail perfectly, allowing retailers to provide consumers with consistent quality year-round. Shuman takes exception to those who complain that imports could take away American jobs.

“If it were not a better product we would not be in Peru,” Shuman said. “We’re all trying to drive sales and create jobs here in America. We went to Peru because that’s the closest we could find to a Vidalia sweet onion. Through imports, we create and utilize every job that domestic production employs except field labor, which is an increasingly difficult situation for the industry. And with the growth of our Peruvian import program, we have been able to build a year-round local workforce.”

Factor in jobs created at ports and other related industries and it is a win-win situation, he said.

“The Port of Savannah [GA] is one of the fastest growing ports in the world. Shuman Produce brought 800 containers through just last year,” Shuman said.

“Being born and raised in the Vidalia sweet onion industry, we have a very good understanding of the product and what we’re trying to deliver to the consumer,” he continued. “We grew up around the best sweet onion out there and we understand fully what it should look like and taste like, so we’ve gained experience over the years cultivating and bringing to market these varieties. We’ve been very blessed and our Peruvian program continues to grow year after year. That is a testament to the overall consumer approval and appeal of the product — it’s a superior sweet onion during its market availability.”

With the Peruvian season “running just a little behind” there will be no overlap with the end of the Vidalia storage crop. As a result, “The market is starting to show some life and the Peruvian deal should open at around $20,” Shuman said.