Vidalia Onions Host Blogger Event to Celebrate Season Start

To celebrate the start of the 2014 season and its new “V is for Vidalia” consumer campaign, the Vidalia Onion Committee hosted a field tour for food bloggers and media in late April to provide a first-hand look at how and where Vidalia onions are grown, along with one-on-one conversations with farmers.

During the weekend event, participants were also treated to a wide variety of specially prepared meals from local chefs featuring the versatility and flavor of Vidalia onions.

A total of 11 national food bloggers and key media explored the onion fields and viewed how Vidalias are harvested by hand, and toured the packing facility that showcased how the sweet onions are carefully handled, graded and packaged to ensure quality and food safety. Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black joined the tour and spoke about the benefits of the Georgia-grown initiative in promoting Georgia’s locally grown products. 

“Showcasing the entire farm to fork experience gave these individuals a real sense of not only how and where Vidalia onions are grown but more importantly what makes them so special,” stated Susan Waters, VOC executive director.  “The farmers enjoyed sharing their passion for growing Vidalia onions, their dedication to food safety and quality and the history of their family farms which is multi-generational.”