“Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see a new recipe that calls for sweet onions, which attests to their growing popularity,” says Teri Gibson, director of marketing for Peri & Sons Farms in Yerington, Nevada.

Peri & Sons Farms’ Sweetie Sweet® premium and organic onions are available nationally between July and December each year. The farm’s colorful packaging is designed to attract consumers with free recipes and information on a healthy lifestyle. 

Kelsey Weingart, brand manager for the farm, points out that, “As agriculture imports reach record highs, and the associated costs for importing grows, we can offer our customers a sense of stability knowing Sweetie Sweet onions are grown right here in the U.S.A.”

Source: Omar Martinez/ Peri & Sons Farms

It’s widely reported that millennials, dubbed the most information-hungry generation, are keenly interested in knowing where and how their food is grown. “Highlighting the farm and growing location of our sweet onions, is a good way to capture the attention of this important consumer segment,” says Gibson. “Consumers are looking for a connection, so we try to provide that with engaging information and mobile-friendly QR Codes linking to more information about our farm’s culture and philosophy, our sustainable farming practices, farm videos and creative ways to cook onions.”

Source: Kelsey Weingart/Peri & Sons Farms

Peri & Sons Farms grows their special Sweetie Sweet onion seeds in a secret location every season. This allows them to maintain optimal quality and integrity year after year. “During each growing season we analyze every field, using an advanced GPS mapping system, to target the best quality bulbs for our proprietary seed-production process,” said Gibson. “These special bulbs are nurtured and monitored until they are ready to produce our proprietary seed. We make the extra effort to ensure our Sweetie Sweet onions retain the special flavor profile our customers have come to expect.”

Data suggest that Gen Z and Millennials report buying organic produce more frequently than older generations, and they also have a strong preference for sustainable products. “The reports we see, show that both generations seek transparency in how food is sourced and produced, and are willing to support brands that align with their values. That’s great news for us because Peri & Sons Farms has a deeply rooted culture of sustainable farming that took hold long before the concept of being earth-friendly became popular. In fact, back in 1967, David Peri’s father was honored as Conservationist of the Year for proving to be a good steward of the land and working to preserve the farm for generations to come.”

Officially, Peri & Sons Farms has been an SCS Global Certified Sustainable farm operation since 2016. “It’s a standard of achievement that requires dedication at every level of the farm’s operation ─ from those managing the business to those working the ground,” says Gibson. 

“There is no one big green measure,” says Gibson, “It’s hundreds of measures. Hundreds of new things and improved things that we keep implementing year after year to increase efficiency, reduce costs, reduce waste, conserve resources, improve environments, empower people, and enhance community.”

Weingart adds that, “Sustainability practices are always evolving. The moment our plan is implemented, more opportunities to improve upon it arise, and we adjust to stay current. The fundamental holistic principle of sustainability is to adapt and persevere and that’s what we are doing.” 

Source: Kelsey Weingart/Peri & Sons Farms

For a couple of years now, Peri & Sons Farms has been packing varieties of their organic onions in a 100% plastic-free, biodegradable, and compostable bag, called the Earthbag®. The bags functional, light-weight design enhances freshness, shelf-life and safety, all while reducing the impact on the planet. Later this year, the farm’s Sweetie Sweet and Sweetie Tearless® onions will be packed in the Earthbag as well. The farms’ goal is to have all their organic onion products packed in earth-friendly packaging by the end of 2026. 

“It’s the type of responsible produce packaging that makes consumers happy today and makes the earth a better place tomorrow,” says Gibson. “But, when it comes to obtaining affordable, sustainable, non-plastic packaging, it has been challenging. Regardless, we are dedicated to moving forward on this front because it’s the right thing to do.”

Peri & Sons Farms has been growing, packing, and shipping premium white, yellow, red, sweet, and organic onions since 1979 and recently added cipollinis, shallots and garlic to the product line. Today they farm about 7,600 acres of onions between Nevada and California, amounting to sales of over 550 million pounds of onions throughout the U.S. and abroad.