There is no stopping the growth of the sweet onion category. And Matt Curry, president of Curry & Co. in Brooks, OR, said Peruvian sweet onions are a critical part of the company’s year-round sweet onion program. “Peruvian onions remain an important part of it,” he said Aug. 8. “Many consumers and retailers consider Peruvian sweet onions to be the closest onion to the ever-popular Vidalia onion. It has the same shape and is very similar in color as well. Many of the domestic options available during this time are bulb-shaped and although they are sweet, they don’t fit the perception of a sweet onion in many people’s mind. It is our challenge to continue to educate both our retailers and the consumers on the seasonality of sweet onions and to line them up with the best option for their particular needs.”

Mr. Curry was in Peru inspecting onion fields at the beginning of August, and he was asked to assess the condition of the crop. “The onion quality we’ve been seen thus far has been very good and consistent,” he commented. “Nice skins, a nice ‘sweet onion’ shape and great color. The crop has is also very clean. We think it is one of the stronger quality crops in recent years.”

Overall, the company is expecting a 10 percent increase in its volume for the current season when compared to 2011. “There are a couple of reasons for this,” he observed. “The first is that the shortage of Vidalia onions at the end of their season has created demand for imports a few weeks ahead of the normal timing. Our Peruvian growing partners also continue to grow, and we’ll have heavier volumes than previous years.”

According to Mr. Curry, weather in the growing region was colder than normal. As a result, he expects sizing to learn toward mediums on the front end of the season. “It’s our hope that sizing will improve as we move into the season,” he added. “We will still have a full range of sizes. But we are anticipating our peak volume to be mediums.”

Curry & Co. plans to import its Peruvian onions through the port of Savannah, GA. “The majority of the Peruvian onions we sell remain in the Southeast,” he said. “We pack these predominantly in Georgia. However, we work closely with our customer base to deliver the right sweet onion to them at the right time, and this can create opportunities throughout North America. If demand warrants it, we’re prepared to use Northeast ports and West ports.”

Product is marketed under the “Curry & Co. Sweet Onions” label and the “Sweet Peaks” brand.

The company works closely with its retail partners to promote sweet onion sales. “We are really focusing on our 52-weeks per year sweet onion program and work closely with our customers to help them make the best sweet onion decision for them and their consumers during the course of the respective sweet onion seasons,” Mr. Curry said regarding category management.