Shuman Farms kicking off Vidalia season with fresh energy and next-gen focus
Shuman Farms kicking off Vidalia season with fresh energy and next-gen focus
The 2026 Vidalia onion season is set to start on the official pack date of April 13, and Shuman Farms expects to have favorable quality and availability of both conventional and organic Vidalias, with onions expected to ship through Labor Day.
“The return of Vidalia season each April is an exciting time for the Shuman Farms team and our retail and foodservice partners. It is full of promotions, field tours and events aimed at sharing the Vidalia story with consumers and inspiring consumption,” said John Shuman, president and CEO of the Reidsville, GA-based company. “We take great pride in delivering a seasonal product that consumers seek out by name and trust to include in their family meals.”
Shuman Farms has been growing Vidalia onions through three generations, beginning in the mid-1980’s with a small family farm and now recognized as one of the industry’s largest grower/packer/shippers.
“While we are grateful to be a year-round leader in the sweet onion industry and provide that continuity of supply for our retail partners, Vidalia sweet onions continue to be the cornerstone of our operations and fundamental to who we are at Shuman Farms,” Shuman said. “Vidalia onions can only be grown within a 20-county region of southeast Georgia, and it’s hard to describe the excitement in the air when harvest time rolls around.”
The company’s secret to success in the category is building strong partnerships based on consistency, mutual trust and a willingness to follow trends to create opportunities for category growth.
“Merchandising is key to driving incremental sales at the retail level,” Shuman said. “We encourage our retail partners to display Vidalia onions front-and-center as often as possible, cross merchandise with high-affinity items like peppers and tomatoes and go all out with grilling themed displays ahead of peak holidays like Memorial Day, Father’s Day and the Fourth of July.”
One of the biggest threats to the Vidalia industry today is an aging core consumer base. In response, targeting younger generations is top of mind in Shuman Farms’ marketing strategy this Vidalia season.
“We plan to reach younger consumers where they scroll this Vidalia season, with fresh social media content focused on Vidalia education and usage inspiration highlighting their versatility,” Shuman said. “We will also celebrate America’s favorite sweet onion alongside America’s favorite pastime this spring with baseball partnerships and fan-forward events.”
Shuman Farms will host Vidalia Night at both University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University baseball games in early May to increase awareness of Vidalia onions and celebrate the start of the season.
Top restaurants throughout Georgia will also celebrate Shuman Farms’ fourth annual RealSweet Vidalia Onion Restaurant Week May 15-24. Participating chefs will create menu specials highlighting RealSweet Vidalia onions, with some opting for tried-and-true classics like soups and salads and others dreaming up innovative cocktails and baked goods.
Shuman Farms also looks forward to shipping its Georgia grown RealSweet Rubies sweet red onions from May through July.
“The Rubies brand launched in 2021 and has been a success at retail, providing strong incremental sale opportunities for our partners,” Shuman said. “Grown in the same sandy soils that lend Vidalia onions their iconic sweetness, Rubies can be described as the red onion without regret, providing a depth of sweet and savory flavor to burgers, salads and more without the lingering aftertaste of a conventional red.”
New this year, Shuman Farms will offer a branded Rubies secondary display bin to aid retail partners in communicating the sweet red onion’s specialty and limited availability.
“We recommend utilizing these bins to merchandise Rubies alongside Vidalias, other summer vegetables and grilling necessities,” Shuman said.
