ORLANDO, FL - When we stopped by the Shuman Farms booth to speak with John Shuman, President and Chief Executive Officer, at the International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Global Produce & Floral Show, the holidays weren’t on my mind. However, with the giving spirit of the season filling the air, the message he shares takes on a new light as the leader discusses the importance of giving back to both nature and local communities.

“To me, sustainability is on the farm, between soil conservation and water conservation. We want to leave each of these spaces better than we found it, and we want to continue to drive culture to our company and really focus on our people,” John begins the conversation.

And that is exactly what Shuman Farms does as it grows its popular Peruvian sweet onions, which are in high demand during the fall and winter months. As John went on to explain, among the entire list of sweet onions, even in North America, Peruvian sweet onions are one of the largest volume varieties in the United States market.

With its Peruvian sweet onions performing well, Shuman Farms has also made it its mission to ensure that the communities it is connected to are thriving. To do so, the grower has implemented its Give Back initiative.

“[As] part of our Giving Back initiative, we have our Feeding America promotion...where we will be selling 3 and 5 lb bags of Peruvian sweet onions,” says John. “…we’ll be giving back into those communities, supporting those food banks during November and December, which is a time of year that's really sensitive to food insecurity.”

To hear more of what John had to say, watch the exclusive video above.

Shuman Farms