Eagle Eye cites strong onion demand, good volume of all colors

Mid-September saw Idaho Falls-based Eagle Eye Produce’s Treasure Valley operation transition from fresh-run onions into its storage crop, and Joe Ange, director of business development, said early season demand had been good and movement brisk.

From his Nyssa, OR, office Ange said on Sept. 15 that Eagle Eye had begun shipping 2022 onions out of Washington, Idaho and Oregon a few weeks earlier, adding, “Since the season started in the Northwest, demand has been very strong, and new crop supplies are moving very well. The Northwest is now the primary shipping region with New Mexico and California now finished.”

Ange said, “Demand has been very strong for yellow jumbo, colossal, and super sizes. Availability will be tight for larger sized onions as onion crops throughout the Northwest are trending small.”

Also commenting in mid-September, Sales Manager Jason Pearson said the Nyssa operation would start its storage shipments later in the month. Pearson said, “We have only been shipping fresh-run onions up to this point out of Idaho, Oregon and Washington, but we will start filling storages with onions within the next week and shift to shipping storage onions for the rest of the season.”

Sizing, he said, had been smaller than normal at that point, but he expected larger onions as the season continues.

“We currently have adequate supplies of jumbos and mediums,” Pearson said. “Colossal and super colossal sizes will be limited. This will improve slightly as we get later into the season, but sizing is currently trending slightly smaller than an average year.” As for colors, he noted, “We do not currently foresee any shortfalls in red and white availability throughout the season. Our growers have done an excellent job diversifying their crops, and we have good supply throughout our onion varieties.”

As the season continues its momentum, Eagle Eye continues to add to its packaging options to meet retail demand. Ange said one new option is driven by the potential in small-pack business Eagle Eye has seen.

“We recently started shipping Harvest Select onions with individual PLU labels for our retail partners,” he said. “Eagle Eye Produce can now pack everything from two-pound bags all the way up to the traditional bulk bags and bins. We are committed to continue to meet our customer’s needs through innovative packaging.”

And the company is “always developing new guides, recipes, and content to promote our programs, products, and growers, on social media and at our customers locations,” Communications Director Dallin Klingler said.

“We have content that targets consumers directly as well as content that targets produce buyers. As a business-to-business company, targeting retail and foodservice accounts is obviously our priority, but we do feel that it is also important to educate the public on produce basics and promote healthy foods,” he continued. “We also love working with our retail and foodservice partners to develop new displays or content to market to their customers and have campaigns in the works for the upcoming holiday season.”

Photo: Eagle Eye Produce is now shipping Harvest Select onions with individual PLU labels for retail and offers packing options from 2-pound bags to traditional bulk bags and bins.