Sweet onion giant Bland Farms LLC in Glennville, GA, is heading into what looks like an excellent Texas onion season and solid market that will set the table for its keystone Vidalia onion deal, according to Director of Sales John Cameron. It does not hurt that the company also owns Bland Distribution Services, in Donna, TX, just a few miles from the Mexican border.

“We’re coming off a little early,” Mr. Cameron said. “The yields are a little lighter on the early stuff but it’s going to be a good crop. The quality is going to be good, the sizing is going to be good so we’re really excited about it. We’ve had a lot of good visits with customers about it so we think it’s going to be a good crop for us and a good season for us.”

NatureSweet at the Southeast Produce Council Southern Exposure show in Orlando, FL, March 2. (Photo by Chip Carter)A strong market took a dip at the end of February as Mexican production temporarily spiked, but with Texas acreage down, Mr. Cameron believes a correction will come quickly. There is also a possibility that the 20 percent reduction in overall Texas onion acreage may prove to be an overcorrection that could send markets higher.

Mr. Cameron believes “the Mexican deal’s going to ease a little more and we’ll see what kind of pressure that puts on Texas. The market will be strong. It won’t be as strong as it is right now but it could set Vidalia up really well. It’s going to be solid, there’s no doubt about it.”

Bland has created new partnerships with producers of other items in the produce department to create additional marketing opportunities and drive sales for retailers.

“We’re working with our customers now with different programs and different partnerships in the produce department that marry up other foods and sweet onions. We’ve engaged tomato companies, mushroom companies and others to do some cross-promotions and add value to the basket for consumers,” Mr. Cameron said. “Consumers are looking for value, not necessarily just price, but what they can get for that five dollars. You can do more when everybody puts a little bit of money into it, you can drive a ‘buy this, get that’ or a ‘meal deal.’ It makes it work for the retailers really well, tells a good story and brings a lot of excitement into the produce department. When I was running produce departments at United Supermarkets we did a lot of deals like that and the guys get excited. A regular ad at 99 cents, OK, that’s great, but put something with it like a bell pepper or mushroom and tie it in — build a better pizza — the guys really get behind it. We’re going to be able to do some of that because the Texas market is going to have some overcorrection in it with volume but I don’t see it getting crazy strong.”

But the market coming out of Texas does have the potential to set Vidalia up for a very nice ride when it comes off in a few weeks, especially with recent rains that have been just enough at just the right time to provide one final shot of sweetness that may make this a very special year for Vidalia onions.

“We were waterlogged for a few days but we had some wind come through there to help dry it out, we’ve been able to get out there and do some spraying and we haven’t seen any problems so I think we’re going to have a really good Vidalia crop and we’re really excited about that.”