Global Produce & Floral Show: Onions
Onion suppliers are bringing more than flavor to the Global Produce & Floral Show, with year-round programs, sustainable packaging and retail support taking center stage. As shopper taste buds and expectations evolve, growers are focused on delivering consistency, convenience and value.
Peri & Sons Farms began attending 15 years ago before the trade show was renamed, and the team continues to return because the trade show serves as a gathering place for the industry’s key players to connect and exchange ideas. “Our first show was in 2011 when it was United Fresh and then we continued on when it changed to IFPA in 2022,” remarked Kelsey Weingart, Brand Manager, Marketing. “The show brings buyers, distributors, and industry partners together in one place, making it one of the most efficient ways for Peri & Sons to catch up with customers, build relationships, and showcase what’s new in agriculture face-to-face.”
Bland Farms has been participating in the show for more than 40 years and remains impressed by how swiftly long-term partnerships can develop and flourish in meetings as short as 15 minutes. “The value is in the conversations that only happen face-to-face,” shared CEO Troy Bland. “Category reviews, program planning, new retail relationships. It’s the one week a year where we get a large part of the industry in the same building, and a fifteen-minute conversation at a booth can turn into a season-long program.”
Shuman Farms has been participating in The Global Produce & Floral Show for nearly two decades. John Shuman, President & CEO explained, “The show provides an invaluable opportunity to showcase our products and connect with retail partners to share upcoming plans to drive sales and build the onion category. It also provides a chance to learn what’s new in the produce industry as a whole and what trends we can anticipate in the coming year. Attendees can find the Shuman Farms team at our booth in Orlando. Members of our sales, marketing, and operations teams will be on-site to share what’s new at Shuman Farms and provide updates on promotional opportunities for the fall and winter, as well as our 2027 Vidalia crop.”
“Peri & Sons is focused on flavor, and we’re spotlighting our commitment to giving customers produce that doesn’t just look good but tastes good,” Weingart said. “There is too much tasteless produce out there. That commitment drives everything from our marketing to our merchandising, and there’s no better onion to showcase that commitment to exceptional flavor than our Sweetie Sweet, which returns each year in late summer and early fall. We love using the show as an opportunity to educate buyers about what makes sweet onions special.”
Some onion suppliers are eager to discuss programs that enable year-round availability without interruption. “First, we plan to showcase our Premium Sweet Onion program from Peru, which allows retailers to keep sweet onions on the shelf beyond the Vidalia season and maintain that momentum year-round,” Bland said. “They’re the same variety as our Vidalia Sweet Onions, so retailers can move from one season into the next with a consistent sweet-onion experience and a marketing program to support it. Second, we’re expanding our offering across the onion category. As the largest grower, packer and shipper of sweet onions in the US, we’re building on that core strength by adding whites, reds and hybrid yellows to the products we market. That gives retailers access to the full onion category through one partner, while sweet onions remain at the heart of what we grow.”
“We will prominently feature one of our year-round sweet onion consumer brands in RealSweet, celebrating its 25 years in the marketplace helping to educate and inspire consumers and driving category sales for retailers,” Shuman commented. “Our Mr. Buck’s Farm Fresh sweet onions and Rubies sweet red onions will also get their chances to shine.”
“The goal is to have real conversations about building year-round programs, not just seasonal buys,” Bland said. “The booth is set up to make that easy, with the team on hand who can actually answer the questions retailers have about supply, timing, and merchandising. Retail partners can also see how to get the most out of the Bland Farms Retail Toolkit, a resource built specifically to help them market alongside us. It’s a digital library of brand-approved assets: advertising, social content, in-store signage, shelf talkers, and promotional materials, all ready to download and use. Marketing support has become a real part of what Bland Farms brings to a partnership, and the toolkit is the most concrete version of that.”
Shuman shared, “We hope to share our plans for the coming year with retail partners and make new connections while sharing the story of our family and products. Visitors to our booth can also look forward to sampling our fan-favorite All-American Sweet Onion Dip and learning more about the flavor and versatility that sweet onions lend to tailgate spreads.”
Peri & Sons’ offering reflects what consumers are seeking. Weingart said, “Buyers want less plastic without sacrificing freshness or shelf appeal, and packaging that travels well and withstands transportation. That balance is exactly what we’ve focused on with our Earthbag packaging for our organic onions, and we’re continuing to explore more plastic-free options for the future.”
Year-round supply continues to create opportunities for retailers to better serve consumers, and category leaders are eager to demonstrate how it can be achieved.
“Year-round supply is going to dominate,” Bland said. “Retailers have figured out that consumers don’t want sweet onions for three months; they want them whenever they’re cooking, and the conversation is shifting toward which suppliers can actually deliver that consistently, and at the quality shoppers expect. Because Bland Farms owns and operates its own fields in Peru rather than contracting them out, we have full control over how the crop is grown and full transparency into every step. That’s a different conversation than buying onions and selling them. Storage and shipping capacity is the piece underneath that conversation. Bland Farms stores nearly half of the Vidalias stored industry-wide, and we have the largest refrigerated storage capacity in the Vidalia industry, which is what allows us to ship further into the season than anyone else.”
“Consumers are looking for ways to stretch their grocery dollars to continue incorporating fresh produce into their daily meals,” Shuman remarked. “Value and versatility drive much of the conversation, and sweet onions provide both. Our sweet onion brands capture shoppers’ attention with bright colors and bold, succinct messaging, while our packaging, POS, and digital messaging aim to take the guess work out of everyday meals with storage and prep tips and meal ideas.”
Onion suppliers are committed to curating a product selection that aligns with current consumer preferences and values at retail.
“Consumers are gravitating toward onions with standout flavor and packaging they feel good about,” Weingart said. “Sweetie Sweet and our full organic line deliver on taste, while Earthbag packaging, which is plastic-free, compostable, and recyclable, meets the demand for more sustainable choices on the shelf.”
Onion suppliers are attentive to consumers’ shopping and cooking habits and are simplifying the process of storing and preparing their preferred produce at home.
“Consumers are cooking more from scratch and reading labels harder than they used to,” Bland said. “Sweet onions land well in that environment. No sodium added, no sugar added, naturally sweet, and versatile enough to go raw on a sandwich or low and slow in a braise. The bag business tells the same story. Bland Farms has doubled bagged onion production over the past five years because shoppers are buying more onion at once, not less. That’s a household that’s cooking, and it’s why we’ve built the supply program to keep them stocked all year rather than for one season. Sand Candy Sweet Potatoes fit the same consumer profile. Nutrient-dense, naturally sweet, gluten-free, and one of the strongest-performing categories in produce right now. Per capita sweet potato consumption has nearly doubled over the past two decades, and shoppers are using them well beyond the holiday table. Supply has been tight across the category this year, which makes consistent year-round volume a real advantage heading into the season. Vidalia Brands takes it a step further. Dressings, seasonings, chow chow, relish, and onion blossom batter mix are all built around the same sweet onion flavor consumers already trust. It’s the shopper who loves the onion looking for more ways to use it, and it lets retailers extend a produce relationship into other parts of the store.”
From standout flavor to more sustainable packaging, attendees will see how onion suppliers are meeting shopper needs and strengthening the category at retail.
