G&R Farms rebrands with new logo, packaging

G&R Farms imports onions from Peru during the fall and winter months to provide a seamless source of sweet onions year-round after the Vidalia onion season ends.

“Our full-time production manager in Peru has daily communication with the team in the states to ensure the crop maintains the highest quality and consistency of the Vidalia Onions consumers know and love,” said Steven Shuman, sales manager for the Glennville, GA-based company. “Our planting and harvest season is also staggered to make sure we can cover entire sweet onion import season.”

With up to 30 percent of category sales, and a leader in the sweet onion business, G&R Farms’ goal is to meet the needs of all customers.

The company’s acreage in Peru continues to grow with weekly container arrivals throughout the Peruvian season — August through March.

“As a third-generation family farm, our efforts to increase acreage have spanned decades, with our great grandparents, uncles and other relatives playing an active role in living out our core values of quality and service, which has helped us to develop the best growing relationships in Peru and deliver trusted quality to the U.S.,” Shuman said. “The expansion of the Peruvian onion category is due to consumer demand after seeing a greater need to satisfy consumption. With the addition of our Peruvian Sweet Red Onions we provide year-round sweets including limited supplies of sweet red onions and organic sweets.”

As of early August, the upcoming crops were looking strong and the weather has been favorable.

“That is the beauty of the Peruvian growing region and its ability to stay mild and limit problematic weather-related quality issues,” Shuman said. “The crop is shaping up with all signs pointing to a nutritious and flavorful season. Like last year, the coming months will feature sweet and mild varieties perfect for meeting the expectations of today’s savvy consumer.”

The company understands that to be a success in the category, one must first deliver on consistent quality and service.

“It is the core of our business and what keeps our customers coming back,” Shuman said. “You must also be at the front end of change and technology keeping up with trends to meet the needs of a changing marketing place. Today, sustainability initiatives are at the forefront of our operations. We pay close attention to every input, soil management and even work closely with conservation programs to set aside conservation easements and plant over 1 million trees each year.”

In mid-April, G&R Farms launched its new re-brand featuring an updated logo and new packaging in stores. The packaging features a blue and orange scheme visible the moment consumers enter the produce section.

“The change was enacted on all social media platforms to celebrate the start of the new season,” Shuman said. “The blue and orange color scheme with a modern design signifies creates a new look and feel for the sweet onion displays and has met with rave reviews from customers who love the new look.”

When it comes to retail, G&R Farms knows there isn’t a one size fits all promotion or idea. The goal is flexibility by customer.

“Everything from in-store promotions, point of sale materials, secondary displays or online digital promotions are tools for growing the category,” Shuman said. “New this year is also our summer promotion with the American Cornhole Organization offering summer grilling and tailgating recipes perfect for families.”

As a grower-shipper, G&R Farms feels a responsibility to continue to tell its story and create connection points and inspiration to encourage consumers to purchase sweet onions all year long with season appropriate recipes.

“We are excited that our Seasons of Giving and Growing America’s Farmer programs continue to allow us to give back to communities around the country,” Shuman said. “Seasons of Giving has helped raise over $60,000 since 2020 and our Growing America’s Farmer program has raised over $350,000 for scholarships for students pursuing careers in production agriculture.”