Category Captains: Onions and Organic Pork

Onions

Onions are the start of many recipes. They are used in everything from soups, sauces, stir fries, to salads and garnishes, making them one of the most widely used ingredients globally. For three generations, Shuman Farms has been dedicated to growing and delivering the highest-quality sweet onions from its location in the Vidalia growing region of Southeast Georgia.

John Shuman, President and CEO, reported, “Supplies for all onions are plentiful and expected to be that way for the foreseeable future. Much like the overall veg category, the onion category has experienced deflation during the last 52 weeks and demand has been soft YOY. Recent holiday demand has provided some relief, bringing weekly unit movement closer in line with last year. We are very fortunate that sweet onions are a staple holiday item, providing value and versatility to the consumer, along with solid margin potential for the retailer.” 

Due to their versatility and ability to add complex flavor, onions have remained an affordable and storable food source. Shuman explained, “Consumers are looking for easy ways to add flavor to their go-to dishes and include different ingredients to keep their meals fresh and exciting. Sweet onions accomplish both, serving as a value-added option in a familiar, accessible category. Consumers are also searching for tips on product usage, storage and preservation and meal solutions that help them to stretch their dollar and reduce food waste.” 

Integrity and humility shape Shuman Farms’ mission to serve, sustain, innovate and give back. From the way they treat customers like family to how they lead research-driven innovation with consumers in mind, Shuman is a true partner to customers, retailers and the category. 

“We strive to utilize resources like our strong consumer brands and shopper marketing experience to address category trends that we identify through ongoing market research,” said Shuman. “Our ultimate goal is to work alongside our retail partners to develop their onion category to maximize offerings and effectively meet shopper demand.” 

He continued, “We work to bring excitement into the onion category, re-energizing what’s considered a tried-and-true commodity through an innovative approach to marketing. We help to foster success for our retail partners by working to build bigger produce baskets through cross-promotional campaigns, bringing produce items together to create value for retailers and their shoppers. We help break down silos within organizations to bring the key people to the table to build successful campaigns.” 

Shuman Farms is home to the RealSweet brand, which was first launched in 2001 and has since grown to become one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the produce department. Mr. Bucks’s Farm Fresh was named to honor the Shuman family’s legacy of their father. As well as RealSweet Rubies, red onions that are only available from May to July and claim to be as sweet as pie. But Shuman Farms doesn’t just grow onions. They also grow relationships.

Shuman stated, “We bring an approach to the category designed to grow sales through thoughtful partnership. We work hard to provide value to our retail partners by keeping a close pulse on their go-to-market strategies and internal objectives.”

All of the onions grown on Shuman Farms are non-GMO, grown using either organic or conventional farming practices perfected throughout the years—and generations—of experience. It’s a heritage that retailers, consumers and onion lovers can trust to lead the category for years to come.

Organic Pork

When it comes to choosing meat products, consumers today don’t just consider taste and quality, but they also consider the health of the animals and the environment. Pederson’s Natural Farms has been prioritizing providing meats from animals that are vegetarian-fed and raised without antibiotics since it began in 1992. 

Many families are switching from conventional meat produced by industrial farms to organic meat that is raised with stricter guidelines. “Organic is having a moment now, particularly in the meat space,” Ben Warren, Retail Marketing Manager, previously shared. “We saw an opportunity in a space where there was very little opportunity. We had the means and capitalized on it.” 

The organic pork category has evolved since Pederson became the first company to make a no-sugar bacon available nationwide. Their five-ingredient bacon is defined as much by what is not in it, as what is. No added sugar, no hormones, no added nitrates or nitrites and no antibiotics. It has revolutionized the market and now Pederson offers a robust line of No Sugar Added hams, sausages and dogs. But it wasn’t always easy for the company. Even their own website speaks to their tough origin story, “Our last 20 years have been made up of all-nighters and weekends sacrificed for the betterment of the food you consume. This is a story about saying good riddance to the status quo and shaking up an industry that’d been asleep for too long.”

Warren elaborated on the farm’s passionate pursuit of products that use natural meats raised with humane and environmentally safe practices. “Originally, it was risky as the costs for us were significant. There were other possibilities with Non-GMO and all-natural. However, the consumer wanted to take out all the guesswork and give themselves one word that covered all the claims they were looking for.” 

While some might think that paying for organic is not in most consumers’ tightening pockets these days, the opposite is actually true. Warren explained, “Price as a deterrent is the misconception. People in today’s market are willing to stretch on price to get the claims they are looking for.” 

Pederson’s is proud to be elevating the organic pork category. Warren stated, “We are a prominent company in the natural space and giving customers a product that will reliably be on shelves and filling a desired space for the consumer, which hasn’t had much attention, is what we always want. We are glad we could do that.”

Pederson’s meaty mission has brought natural and organic meat that is humanely raised to more customers across the nation. They are a company that stands for quality and so much more.