With a couple of years of production under its belt, Oso Sweet Onions has a much larger crop of California onions this year from two distinct growing regions.

Brian Kastick, president and general manager of the Charleston, WV-based firm, said the Brawley district in the southern desert region of Imperial Valley will be shipping in May and June, while Bakersfield will provide Oso Sweet Onions in July and August. He said both regions are perfectly suited to provide what he calls “a real sweet onion.”

Mr. Kastick said that the sweet onions his firm grows and markets have a flat shape and are super sweet. “They are not just round onions that they slap a sticker on and call it a sweet onion.”

He said that comparing some so-called sweet onions to a Oso Sweet Onion is like comparing a fugazi (a fake diamond) to a real diamond. “We don’t market a fugazi,” he quipped.

The Oso Sweet executive said the two California growing locations mirror the climatic conditions that Oso Sweet discovered in Chile more than 20 years ago. “There is not a lot of rain in those areas. It’s dry at harvest which allows the high quality and sweetness to come through.”

He said an Oso Sweet Onion typically has a pyruvic acid score in the 2.5 range, which is as much as 30 percent more sugar than in some sweet onions. “That’s why we can get a premium for our product,” Mr. Kastick said.

He argues that all sweet onions should be in this range to give the consumer a great eating experience. “We sell a high-quality sweet onion which will make the consumer come back and buy it again. Marketers and retailers know the difference. Some times they want to buy a ‘fake sweet onion’ to save money but they know the difference.”

Oso Sweet Onions began in 1989 in Chile as the company founders were determined to bring a sweet onion to the market during the winter months. For many years, they stuck to their growing district in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Chile, where the rich volcanic soil and ideal microclimate — warm days and cool nights — provide just the right conditions. But over the last decade, Oso Sweet has expanded into many different growing regions and now produces its branded sweet onion 12 months a year.

Mr. Kastick said beginning at the start of the winter, Chile provides the crop. In succession, Oso Sweet Onions are produced in Mexico, Texas, Georgia (Vidalia), California, New Mexico, Nevada and then Peru in the fall. He said the company remains one of the larger importers of both Chile and Peruvian onions. The production in North America truly gives year-round availability, with typically two different districts producing at any one time. In this way, he said the company can supply customers on both coasts with the most attractive sweet onions at the most attractive prices, picking the product closest to market for all customers.

“Our California onions mostly stay on the West Coast,” he said. “For most of our customers we can deliver the product for $1-2 (per box) rather that $5,000 for a load from Vidalia.”

Unlike other onion producers, Oso Sweet concentrates on the 40-pound carton. “We will do whatever pack the customer wants but we focus on carton sales in retail-ready boxes and consumer bags.”

He said the firm offers bagged onions in two-, three-, five- and 10-pound bags. Oso Sweet also offers crates and bins for customers who want them. Mr. Kastick said the best way to enhance sales of onions at retail is to build big displays and sell “real” sweet onions.