John Shuman grew up in the same Vidalia onion fields, then tended by his father Buck, that he now farms in Reidsville, GA.

Although he’s regularly on the go checking in on farming operations elsewhere and meeting with customers as the president of Shuman Produce, Shuman still follows in the footsteps of his father, who was inducted into the Vidalia Growers Hall of Fame in 2013.

“One of the things I’m proudest of that we’ve been able to do was over the years integrate back into farming, which is basically going back to our roots,” Shuman said. “We’ve made some great relationships with our partners, growers like Alan Sikes, James McClain and David Jarriel, who joined up with us back in the days when we couldn’t afford to grow onions ourselves. And as we continue to integrate back into farming with Shuman Farms, rebuilding the entity that is in our heart and soul, we are very careful that it blends with what we’ve accomplished as Shuman Produce.”

Part of those efforts include reaching out to a new crop of consumers. Shuman has set its marketing sites on the public with a newly launched website, HowtospeakSouthern.com, that has fun with Southern accents while sharing the unique story of the families that grow and ship Shuman’s “RealSweet” Vidalias.

“We’re a family of farmers, a collection of mid-sized family farms that for 20 years have been going to battle together, going to market together, under one banner, the ‘RealSweet’ brand,” said Shuman. “Together we can do more than any of us could on our own. We grew up in the Vidalia onion deal, love it, have a passion for it and have been part of it our whole lives.”

As for Buck Shuman, he launched a second career as the Vidalia onion representative for D. Palmer Seed Co., a post he has held for two decades. Today, sweet onion varieties developed under his watchful eye represent one-third of the total Vidalia crop, including one named in his honor, the “Mr. Buck.” The “Sapelo” now has more acreage in production than any other Vidalia variety. Yet another, “Ms. Megan,” is named after his only granddaughter.