Strong season, strong volumes. These words are setting the stage for Curry & Co., a year-round onion marketer headquartered in Brooks, OR. “We are expecting a strong season with plenty of volume for our red, yellow and white onions,” said Matt Curry, company president. “In fact, our volume could be up by as much as 25 percent for each variety. This large harvest allows us to really focus on our 52-week onion program, and we’ll have Northwest reds, yellows and whites available from August clear into May.”

Curry & Co. has generated excitement in retail produce departments with Hermiston SweetReds. (Photo courtesy of Curry & Co.)Curry also places a strong focus on its year-round sweet onion program. “Hermiston Sweet onions will have ample volume for promotions during the course of their season,” Mr. Curry continued. “They are the next sweet onion after Walla Wallas in the Northwest, and they are available for retail until the end of the year.”

Looking at onion production in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Curry said conditions have been favorable. “We had a cooler-than-usual and wet spring in the Northwest,” he commented. “But summer finally kicked in during July and we are looking forward to another nice Northwest crop.”

He was asked about quality and sizing. “We anticipate outstanding quality for the length of the season,” Mr. Curry replied. “The Columbia Basin has excellent soils and is well-known for its onions nationwide. Sizing will run the full spectrum from colossals to mediums. Our bagged program will grow significantly, and we feel it should be a great year for this value-packed opportunity.”

Curry & Co. markets product throughout North America. “Of course, there is strong regional pull in the Pacific Northwest, and we build our program on out from there,” he went on to say. “Northwest onions represent the heaviest volume of our 52-week onion program, and we have customers nationwide who rely on our consistent and reliable product and deliveries.”

Regardless of onion type, Mr. Curry said growers and packers must maintain constant vigilance to ensure the highest quality product is made available to retail partners and consumers. “When you have a crop like yellow, white and red onions, you can easily take it for granted,” he explained. “But we know the effort it takes to grow a great quality onion, and we never take them for granted. There is a difference in onions, and a properly managed onion category can really help drive onion sales.”

This season, Curry & Co. will introduce new onion packaging.