Shuman Farms is doing its part to make the long, cold winter months a little bit sweeter.
Since 1998, Shuman Farms has been importing Peruvian sweet onions into the United States and has grown to be the largest grower and importer of Peruvian sweet onions, which it markets under the RealSweet brand name.
“We are now heavily invested in the region with a full-time staff and infrastructure to support our program,” said John Shuman, president and chief executive officer of Reidsville, GA-based Shuman Farms. “We are currently updating our facility in Peru and we are excited to debut the state-of-the-art packinghouse for the 2020-21 season.”
The Peruvian sweet onion season normally runs from September until early April. During the 2018-19 Peruvian sweet onion season, Shuman Farms led the industry importing nearly 1,100 containers for U.S. distribution. “This season, we plan on having similar production. Quality on the early harvest has been excellent,” Shuman said. “We are also continuing to grow our organics program and expect a good supply this year.”
As part of that growth, Shuman Farms has updated its organic packaging. Through the use of different netting and thinner film, plastic in its new consumer bags, which were debuted in September, is reduced by 38 percent. “The revamp of our organic packaging is just the beginning of an overall initiative to increase sustainability across all of our RealSweet brand products,” Shuman said. “Innovative marketing is a big part of our core values, and we believe that innovation should lead to more sustainable offerings at retail following trends of consumer and retailer demand.”
The primary goal of the new initiative is to reduce plastic usage, educate consumers on the recyclability of onion packaging and address shopper concerns about food waste in America. Like the rest of the RealSweet brand line of consumer bags, the redesigned organic packaging reduces shrink by design, allowing good airflow around the onions to keep them fresh.
Shuman noted that Peruvian sweet onions allow Shuman Farms to offer a virtual year-round supply of the popular vegetable. “We believe Peruvian sweet onions are the premium sweet onion during the fall and winter months,” Shuman said. “Combine this offering with Vidalia sweet onions of similar shape, color and flavor profile and you have an 11-month supply providing category consistency. This consistency educates consumers on what to look for in a sweet onion and will drive sales for everyone.”
Shuman Farms offers RealSweet onions in a wide variety of packaging options, including large display bins, consumer bags, display ready containers and cartons designed to create meal solution opportunities in the produce department, driving incremental sales.
Shuman Farms’ Peruvian sweet onion program has a positive impact on the economic growth in the Southeast, Shuman pointed out. “Shuman Farms imports all our sweet onions through the Port of Savannah, the fourth busiest and fastest-growing container port in the U.S.,” he said. “By importing these onions through a local container port, Shuman Farms can also maintain a highly skilled labor force throughout the year in both the business management and packaging phases of the operation. Peruvian sweet onions help Shuman Farms maintain a year-round labor force that is highly skilled in the packing and distribution of sweet onions.”
Shuman added that 70 percent of all Peruvian sweet onions imported into the U.S. enter the country through Southeastern ports. “This is mainly because of the highest concentration of infrastructure in the U.S. specializing in the handling, storing, packing and distribution of sweet onions is located in southeast Georgia, in the heart of the Vidalia sweet onion growing district,” he said.
Shuman Farms believes in giving back to the families and communities that support its products. In 2002, John Shuman founded Produce for Kids, an organization centered on educating families about the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, while raising money for charitable causes. To date, the organization has raised more than $7 million to benefit children and families, including those affected by hunger through Feeding America.
“Shuman Farms is partnering with Feeding America and Produce for Kids this fall to help those affected by hunger in the United States and support their efforts to provide meals to families in need,” Shuman said.
