Shuman Farms in Reidsville, GA, let us know on Aug. 26 that they now have RealSweet® premium sweet onions from Peru on hand and “are currently making the transition from Vidalia® to Peru.”
The company will ship its Peruvian RealSweet onions through March 2022.
A press release said, “Shuman began growing sweet onions in Peru more than 20 years ago to meet the year-round consumer demand for premium sweet onions. Peru provides the ideal climate, soil, and growing conditions and allows retailers to keep premium sweet onions on the shelf from September to March.”
Noting that the Peruvian sweet onion “is very similar to the Vidalia onion in terms of taste, sweetness, and appearance, with the characteristic flat shape and yellow color that consumers recognize as a premium sweet onion,” the company said they’re bringing in their Peruvian onions through the Port of Savannah.
That route, the press release said, “allows them to maintain a year-round, full-time workforce in Tattnall County, GA.”
It continued, “In addition to the positive economic impact in Shuman Farms’ own backyard, importing sweet onions through the Port of Savannah helps to support over 497,000 jobs in the Southeast United States.”
John Shuman, president and CEO of Shuman Farms, said, “I am proud of the product we grow in Peru and the contribution we make to the economy of Georgia and the southeastern United States. Whether it’s from the soils of Georgia or Peru, we will always be committed to providing American consumers high-quality, healthy produce year-round.”
The release said the quality of this year’s crop “looks very good and will lend well to bag promotions throughout the fall.” And, it said, “Shuman Farms will be executing several innovative marketing promotions this fall with their RealSweet brand in both the in-store and digital spaces. By partnering with like-minded brands across the produce department Shuman Farms will be offering consumers meal solutions which will ultimately drive sales throughout the store.”
The company will also “continue to uphold its foundational pillar of giving back with specially marked pink RealSweet bags in October for breast cancer awareness and Feeding America® bags in November and December to shed a light on food insecurity in the U.S. In addition to POS and digital support of both programs, Shuman Farms will also make donations to the Breast Cancer Research Fund and Feeding America respectively.”
“Giving back to the communities where our products are sold has always been an important aspect of our company,” Shuman said. “It is at the core of who we are and what we believe. We are grateful to work with organizations making a difference across the U.S. and honored to support them in any way we can.”
