|
We love our Georgia Sweets!
We are projecting to start shipments of our Georgia sweet onions around April 8th. Good weather conditions over the month of March has helped this crop progress and mature nicely. “It couldn’t come at a better time since the overall onion market is strong and in short supplies.” according to Jeff Rhoden.
|
|
|
Georgia sweets will be packed in our “Premium Sweet Onion” label, both boxes and consumer bags. Shipping location: Bland Farms – Glennville, Georgia.
Contact Jeff today at jeff@blandfarms.com or 800-354-1240 to place your order.
|
|
|
Vidalia® Sweet Onions are almost here!
April 22nd. . . are you ready?
The start date for the 2019 Vidalia® sweet onion season remains April 22, 8:00 a.m. From our vantage point, everything thing looks great. Though crop acreage is down this year as compared to last year (9,345 compared to approximately 12,000 in 2018), the crop is in good shape, and continues to grow and mature.
|
|
|
|
Bland Farms represents roughly half of the entire Vidalia® crop annually and are known as leaders and innovative farmers. With Bland Farms, you are partnering with the industry leader with over 70 years of farming experience.
• With 62% of sweet onion sales coming from Vidalia® onions, our team of experts including a full-time agronomist, growers, packers, shippers and in-house marketing specialist become an extension of your team
• Number one priority is food safety from seed to shelf
• Family owned and operated with no middle man
Custom box and bag packaging available.
|
|
|
|
Check out our new look!
Call us today for promotional ideas that will drive additional sales for you featuring our Vidalia® Onions.
800-354-1240 or 800-Vidalia (800-354-2542)
The Vidalia’s are here! display graphics celebrate our values and history in farming. The design resonates with today’s consumers who want to connect with where their food comes from. It provides retailers with an attractive secondary display for cross-merchandising opportunities, and it’s a great way to kick-off the Vidalia season.
|
|
|
|
Growing our Organics
We also offer Organic Vidalia® SweetOnions, and are committed to helping your growing need for organics
Our Vidalia organic crop is in good condition as well. The projected start date for them is the same as the conventional Vidalia®, April 22nd. We have increased our plantings in an effort to extend the program as long as possible.
|
|
|
|
Small Sweet Size, Big Sweet Flavor
In 2018, Bland Farms launched Lil’ O’s™, a line of miniature gourmet sweet onions. Grown from the same seeds as their large sweet onions, Lil’ O’s, are cultivated with the same hand-grown care and craftsmanship that go into every Bland Farms product. Lil’ O’s small size ranges from 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. These all-purpose onions are the perfect size for individual use, such as salad toppers, burger toppers, or added to pot roasts. This variety is available all year, and retailers have the choice of a DRC (18 2# bags) or stand-alone shipper.
• Sweet Taste Customers Love
• High in Vitamin C
• Sodium, Fat, & Cholesterol free
• Perfect Convenient Size That Helps Reduce Food Waste.
• Attractive Packaging & Display Ready Cases*
*Fit the stand-alone shipper or stack by themselves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rooted in tradition. Raised to be sweet.™
Bland Farms® is excited to highlight their leadership in the industry with the tagline, Rooted in Tradition. Raised to be Sweet.™ The new tagline highlights key brand messages that are sure to resonate with shoppers. “For 70 years, farming has been our way of life. Our roots are in the traditional farming methods passed down from my parents, but we continue to innovate and evolve to remain the leading producer of America’s favorite sweet onions,” said Delbert Bland. “Many retailers know our ‘Roots to Retail’ promise, but we wanted to craft a memorable brand message that better connects directly with our consumers.” Bland Farms’ message delivers their position and benefit in its simplest, purest form—just like their unrivaled Vidalia® sweet onions.
|
|
|
How excited are you for the upcoming Vidalia season?
It’s always so exciting this time of year. I don’t even sleep. We are cautiously optimistic for the upcoming season; however, it’s the produce business, and I’ve learned that things can change very quickly. As of now everything looks good, but we have got to get them in the house before we get too excited.
Tell me about the Lil O’s™ you introduced in the Bright Ideas section last month at Southern Exposure?
I’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and actually the “Lil’ O’s” idea came from my wife, who also works for the farm. This project has been her baby and she has designed it from the ground up, including the secondary display unit that is used to display the “Lil’ O’s” in stores.
The “Lil’ O’s” have really taken off this year, and I think that is due to the convenient individual size that we offer. They have been very popular with our customers on the West Coast, and now we are seeing more interest with our Midwest and East Coast customers. It takes a couple of years with a new product. I believe the Lil O’s will be a true marketing success story.
Bland Farms is a family business rooted in tradition. What are some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way?
Dream big. One thing in this business is everything is not going to go your way. You are going to be humbled. It’s the most fun, and the most stressful. My grandfather, Mr. Raymond, started farming more than 70 years ago. I didn’t get a chance to work with him, but he taught me about the importance of family and being rooted in family values. He also inspired his children and grandchildren to dream big. My grandfather couldn’t read or write, but he was smart and wise. He laid the foundation for Bland Farms.
Confidence and calm. Anyone who knows DB, my father, knows what a character he is. He is magnetic and people are drawn to him. He’s the best salesman I’ve ever seen. What I’ve learned from him is confidence and staying calm. As I said, this business will humble you, but I’ve learned from my father that people are looking to see how you are going to react when things don’t go as planned. He always projects calmness and you feel he’s thinking 10 moves ahead.
Pay attention and plan. Bryce Edmonson is one more person who’s been an important mentor to me, and I’m happy to say I work for him. Bryce is an icon in the produce business. He is one of the smartest business men I’ve ever met. He has taught me the importance of planning and paying attention to detail. In this business you can either be reacting or you can have a plan and be proactive. He is the perfect businessman compliment to DB the salesman.
I hope to take lessons from each of these men as we move Bland Farms® forward. There is going to be change in this business, and my goal is to anticipate and adapt to take advantage of the changes that are bound to come our way.
|
|
|
|
Our Baby Blands, Troy Harris and Rubye Kate, are now 11 months old! We can hardly believe how much they have grown and how busy they keep us…that is all of us!
|
|
|
|
|
