Featured image: Gills New “Jumbito” the onion during Thanksgiving. All photos courtesy of Gills Onions
Our friends at Gills Onions in Oxnard, CA, are characteristically upbeat folks, and we’re happy to share some sunny news from their company during this holiday season.
Vice President of Sales/Marketing Megan Jacobsen and Sales/Digital Marketing Coordinator Ivan Vera told us on Dec. 7 there’s much to be thankful for as 2020 winds down.
First, an update from Rio Farms, and Megan said, “We are still planting in Bakersfield, California, our largest growing region. These fields will be harvest starting in June through the beginning of September.”
Megan also said as the new crop holds promise for the new year, Gills is ticking off goals reached during 2020. “One of our top Gills Onions marketing goals in 2020 (as discussed in Onion Business in January 2020 – https://onionbusiness.com/gills-onions-shares-good-news-of-onions-in-web-relaunch/) was to expand our social media presence and ramp up content on our website sharing the good news of onions as well as sharing why folks should buy Gills Onion,” she said, “Even with COVID and all the other items our onion industry faced in 2020, we achieved this goal and are really looking forward to an exciting 2021.”
The duo also told us about an Instagram campaign taking place during the month of December, with Gills sharing 25 days of Christmas.
“Among the posts are winter recipes, holiday posts, tips/tricks, onion facts, etc.,” Megan said. “And as a sneak peek into January, we will be launching a month dedicated to health and wellness – ‘tis the season for health and wellness post-holidays. Each week will be dedicated to a current health trend, supported by recipes, with onions of course!” They told us the posts will also include “facts and other important things to know to stay fit and healthy.”
You can find some of Gills’ wonderful Yuletide cheer and recipes at https://gillsonions.com/onions-and-christmas-recipe-happiness, and for the story of potato latkes and their importance to Hanukkah as well as treats and tips, visit https://gillsonions.com/how-onions-play-important-role-hanukkah.
And looking to the New Year, Gills is formally launching Jumbito, its new social media mascot and “overall best fresh produce companion.”
Megan and Ivan explained the mascot is “here to spread knowledge to kids of all ages…and even adults. Jumbito has been making an appearance on our social media posts, and he will be appearing on all GIPHY supported API apps when you search ‘onions’ and ‘gills onions.’”
They encourage everyone to “try it by adding a sticker to your Snapchat or Instagram Story. We hope that by adding a playful character to our brand we can help continue to share the great news of onions!”
