Did the stars align to ensure Vidalia® onions would be in season just as North Americans look to their grills for cooking inspiration? We may never know the workings of the universe, but we do have the necessary details on this variety so that buyers might turn these insightful gems into retail predictions that rock spring and summer programs. With a flavor that’s tough to rival, the layers behind this premium onion are worthy of a closer look…
APPROXIMATELY 10,000—10,500 ACRESof Vidalia onions are planted each year.
HAND-PICKED: Vidalia onions are generally transplanted and harvested by hand, a labor-intensive process from beginning to end.
32 Registered Growers*: The number of growers registered to cultivate this regional specialty.
5.8 Million (40 lb boxes): The equivalent shipped in 2021.
Sweet, Mild Flavor: The signature taste of Vidalia onions was originally a fluke that was stumbled upon by the farmers who planted them during the Great Depression.
STATE VEGETABLE: In 1990, the Vidalia onion was named Georgia’s official state vegetable.
White House Gifts: Former President Jimmy Carter, a Georgia native, used to give them to visiting dignitaries.
*Registered with the Georgia Department of Agriculture
1. More Than An Onion
Once revered for its healing properties, today the “sweetest onion in the world” and Georgia’s state vegetable is more than just a cornerstone of southern barbecue—the Vidalia onion is a way of life.
2. Growing Regions
Vidalia onions can only be grown within a 20-county growing region in South Georgia: Appling, Bacon, Bulloch, Candler, Dodge, Emanuel, Evans, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Laurens, Long, Montgomery, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, and Wheeler.
3. So Special
This 20-county growing region represents a 6,000-square-mile area, in a state occupying 60,000 square miles, in a country composed of 3.8 million square miles.
4. City of Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia onions are named for the city in Toombs County where they were first sold. But, they can in fact be grown outside of the city limits.
5. Onions Galore
The largest volumes of Vidalia onions are grown in Toombs and Tattnall Counties.
6. Transplanting
Many people are unaware, but transplanting is a part of the Vidalia onion growing process. This is done to protect the Vidalia onion plants.
7. New Fields
The plants are moved from seed beds into new fields once they’ve grown to about the width of a pencil.
Source | Vidalia Onion Committee
Though the Vidalia onion has long reigned as a produce aisle standout, the category is still ripe for exponential growth across the buy-side. All that's left to do is unlock its unlimited value potential in-stores. We'll leave you to it... 
