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A STORY OVER 75 YEARS IN THE MAKING

For over 75 years, our family-owned and operated farm has been dedicated to delivering the finest produce to your table. It all began with Raymond Bland’s modest 50-acre farm, where he initially grew peanuts and corn, and later expanded to include tomatoes.

Back in the late 50s and early 60s, the entire Bland family was hands-on, packaging, grading, and shipping our fresh produce to distant markets. Young Delbert Bland, Raymond’s son, was right in the middle of the action, watching with wide-eyed wonder as tractor-trailers carried their harvest across the country. As Delbert grew up, his fascination with farming turned into a passion. He was determined to bring something extraordinary to Bland Farms, and that he did when he planted his first crop of Vidalia Sweet Onions. Through hard work and determination, Delbert made this sweet, mild onion a household staple and grew Bland Farms into the largest grower, packer, and shipper of Vidalia Sweet Onions.

Upon graduating from high school, Delbert devoted his full attention to running the farm. After a chance encounter, Delbert bought a few onions and together with Mr. Raymond decided to enter the Vidalia Sweet Onion business in 1982 After a successful season of growing a small plot of acreage, Bland Farms was officially in the Vidalia Sweet Onion business. At the time, the production and demand for Vidalia Sweet Onions was growing at a slow pace with most being sold in the southeastern part of the country. But Delbert had a much broader vision.

Delbert’s dream included seeing his family’s products grow from a regional specialty to a national necessity. To sell his onions, Delbert began traveling to all parts of the country, meeting people, handing out onions, and forging strong relationships. His efforts would be instrumental in developing and promoting the now famous Vidalia Sweet Onion.

Raymond Bland growing Vidalia Onions

In 1983, Bland Farms began a mail-order business, advertising with a tiny ad in a new publication titled Southern Living magazine, which quickly grew to more than two million subscribers. Business took off and the Vidalia Sweet Onion gained national notoriety and differentiation with Bland Farms’ implementation of PLU stickers to ensure that Vidalia Sweet Onions were never confused with conventional onions.

In 1990, Bland Farms took an innovative and bold step by building and utilizing the latest in fresh produce preservation technology, controlled-atmosphere storage rooms. These rooms extended the availability of Vidalia Sweet Onions from two months to four months. Five years later, Bland Farms entered the frozen food market by offering frozen onion rings and chopped onion bits, quickly becoming the nation’s third largest distributor of such products.

In 2008, Bland Farms opened a new cross-docking facility in Donna, Texas, Bland Distribution Services, a cold storage and distribution center for fresh, frozen and dry goods. It specializes in consolidating loads, layer-picking shipments, reconditioning-repacking and quality-assurance inspections in addition to other quality services.

The once seasonal operation is now multi-national with operations in Peru and Mexico. Bland Farms’ domestic operations span the nation and include Georgia, Texas, Washington, Pennsylvania, and California.