GREENCASTLE, PA - Key investments and two popular varieties are paving the path to increased sales for one of Progressive Produce’s central divisions. Keystone Fruit Marketing Sales and Marketing Manager Andrea Scroggs recently sat down with Commodity Manager Dan Borer to discuss the upcoming Walla Walla sweet onion season and all of the opportunities it brings.

“These growers are second- and third-generation growers who are building on experience of the past, and they are putting their stamp on the crop with modern farming and management practices with impressive results,” Borer said, discussing the unique group of growers that comes together to bring these delicious sweet onions to shelves. “Because Walla Walla’s are an open-pollinated onion, we grow our own seed, which brings a whole other level of care that it takes to produce a good quality sweet onion.”

As the company notes, Keystone Fruit Marketing is seeing an early start to this year’s crop, with good quality creating valuable opportunities for buyers.

In addition to its Walla Walla sweet onions, Keystone also offers heirloom Rosé onions, which bring their own unique attributes to the category.

“Like a Walla Walla sweet, the Rosé sweet bulbs are hand-selected for seed, which, though it’s a painstaking undertaking, has produced an outstanding tasting sweet onion,” Borer noted.

Armed with these coveted varieties, the supplier is well-positioned to meet consumer demand for sweet onions.

“We are seeing a trend in general on onions to move to smaller consumer packaging,” commented Borer. “For this reason, we have made a big investment in equipment at the packinghouse to meet this demand.”

Keep reading ANUK as we bring you the latest crop updates in fresh produce.

Keystone Fruit Marketing