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Committed to Quality
Since 1948

Since its founding in 1948, Bland Farms LLC has been committed to upholding a rigorous Quality Control and Inspection Program, ensuring that all our products meet or exceed the highest standards. As leaders in the specialized field of sweet onions, we dedicate ourselves to continually studying our crops, growing regions, and improving our farming methods to maximize soil productivity and yield.

Our Sweet Onion Specialists

As specialists in sweet onions, our team utilizes advanced research tools and techniques to ensure savory crops year-round for our customers. Our commitment to quality involves:

  • Ensuring the use of the best hybrid seed varieties available
  • Planting and preparation of seed beds
  • Transplanting from seed beds to fields
  • Tissue analysis of different stages of plant growth
  • Charting crop history by field
  • Charting size distribution
  • Charting quality of onions
  • Charting yields per field
  • Systematic monitoring of heat units per field
  • Fertilization programs

Roots to Retail

How The Vidalia Sweet Onion Reaches Your Plate

Join us on a delicious journey from seed to table as we uncover the life cycle of our Vidalia Sweet Onions. For over three generations, our family farm has been dedicated to growing, packing, and shipping these delicious onions with care and tradition.

September to October

Field Preparation

As we bid farewell to our last shipment of Vidalia Sweet Onions in September, our fields gear up for a transformation. A tractor works the soil, creating raised beds where the onion seeds will be sown.

Vidalia Seed Planting

Once the soil is prepped to perfection, we bring out special equipment that plants the Vidalia onion seeds at the perfect depth. We wait for the ideal weather to ensure those little seeds stay put and don’t get washed away.

Seedlings Emerge

By mid to late September, Vidalia onion seedlings make their debut. Vidalias, known as “short day” onions, love these months with shorter daylight hours!

Growing, Growing

After about a month of growth, a Vidalia plant is about the size of a straw. But just wait, soon they will develop into a variety of sizes including small, medium, large, and jumbo! The range of sizes lets retailers provide their customers with a variety of choices to suit their needs!

Snip, Snip, Transplant Trip!

The Vidalia Sweet Onions get a good trim (by hand we might add) before their big move into new fields. By trimming their tops and transplanting the plants, they can dodge plant diseases and cold weather, giving them the best chance to thrive.

November to December

Field Makeover

With a little tractor magic and some specialized machinery, we punch perfect holes in the fields that will be the new home for our Vidalia Sweet Onions plants.

Vidalia Sweet Migration

It’s November! That means moving month for Vidalia Sweet Onion plants. The plants are carefully hand-picked, bundled up, and whisked away to the perfectly prepped field.  Each Vidalia Sweet Onion plant is placed in the soil about 4 ½ to 6 inches apart. For the next four months, these plants continue to grow, reaching their full size just in time for the big harvest in mid to late April.

January to March

The Great Onion Escape

In January, the Vidalia Sweet Onion bulb bursts through the soil, announcing its debut. This means that in just 6-9 weeks, these onions will be ready to steal the spotlight in your favorite dishes. As the day progresses, these little sun seekers bolt upright trying to catch the afternoon sun.

Onion Countdown

Just before they are ready, the once upright green tops that were reaching for the sun take a bow signaling they are ready to go!

April to May

Harvest Hoedown

When it’s time to harvest, a tractor swoops in to undercut the Vidalia Sweet Onion plants, lifting them from the soil onto the field’s surface. From here on out, it’s all hands on deck, as the rest of the process is done entirely by hand.

Sun-bathed Sweetness

Before packing, Vidalia Sweet Onions relish their final moments in the Georgia sun. With the temperature a near-perfect 70 degrees, it’s an ideal environment for these onions to naturally dry in the fields.

Precision Pruning

After the Vidalia Sweet Onions enjoy drying their necks and roots naturally in the spring sunshine, with a gentle touch, each plant is hand-clipped to prevent bruising—these onions have a high water content and need a little extra TLC! They then make their way indoors to cure for 24 to 48 hours.

The Sweet Cure

The delicate Vidalia Sweet Onions are gently placed into drying bins and brought to the indoor drying room. The 95-degree room completes the curing process allowing them to stay fresh and delicious when they hit the shelves. 

April to August

Quality Matters

When our Vidalia Sweet Onions roll into the packing and storage facility, they’re in for a size check and grading. Before they hit the road, these onions get one final look-over to ensure only the best make it to your kitchen.

Ready, Set, Go!

The “official pack date” changes every year, but is typically in mid-April. Growers need to wait for the official date to be announced by the Georgia Agriculture Commissioner and Vidalia Onion Committee. The date is determined by soil and weather conditions during the growing season.

Sweet Shipping Showtime

Once the date is announced, our Vidalias are sized up and weighed. They’re ready to hit the road in their Bland Farms Vidalia Sweet Onions bag, making their way to local grocery stores. But before they embark on their journey, each bag gets a personal quality check to make sure they live up to the Bland Farms’ quality commitment that has made us the leading grower, shipper, and packer of Vidalia Sweet Onions!

Sweet Arrival

Packed and loaded, Bland Farms Vidalia Sweet Onions are on the move! Traveling from the heart of Vidalia country, these onions hit the road to reach your local grocer, spreading their sweet, Southern charm across the country.

Weather, date, and soil composition data help us grow and harvest sweet onions that we are proud to put our name on.

Food Safety

World Quality Services and SCS Global Services certifies and monitors Bland Farms procedures and practices. We prioritize food safety and have earned certifications without fail since their introduction.

USA

Certifications
  • HACCP- based Good
  • Agricultural Practices (GAP) with Global G.A.P.
  • HACCP- based Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
    with Primus GFS
  • Food Security Program
  • Pesticide Residue Free Testing
  • Organic Certified Producer by SCS Global Services
  • Organic Certified Handler by SCS Global Services
  • Registered-United States FDA Bioterrorism Act
    Registration Number: 10298446748

Peru

Certifications
  • HACCP- based Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) with Global G.A.P.
  • HACCP- based Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) with Global G.A.P.
  • Pesticide Residue Free Testing
  • Organic Producer
  • Registered-United States FDA Bioterrorism Act
    Registration Number: 13416215428

The key to year-round production

Hover over our map to discover the keys to our year-round production.

Yerington, NV

Bland Farms DC

Carson, CA

Bland Farms DC

Tolleson, AZ

Bland Farms DC

Donna, TX

Bland Farms DC

Rocky Mount, NC

Sand Candy DC

Glennville, GA

Corporate Office, Bland Farms & Sand Candy DC

Vidalia Onion Growing Region

Ica, Peru

Corporate Office

Arequipa, Peru

Bland Farms DC
ProductAvailabilityDescription
Vidalia Sweet Onions
Available: April – September
Vidalia Sweet Onions are famous for their unrivaled mild and sweet flavor. These sweet onions are always in high demand with consumers and boast a name recognition that spans the globe.
Texas Sweet Onions
Available: March – May
This sweet onion is very popular throughout the United States, but especially loved by consumers in its home state of Texas. Like all other sweet onions that Bland Farms offers, this onion is mild, delicious, and packed with flavor.
Western Sweet Onions
Available: June – December
Our Western Sweet Onions are grown in California and Nevada, offering a deliciously mild and sweet flavor. Available in bulk from Stockton, California, and with additional packing options from Glennville, GA, these onions are a versatile choice for customers nationwide.
Mexican Sweet Onions
Available: February & March
Our Mexican Sweet Onions come from Tampico in the state of Tamaulipas. Another of our mild and flavorful sweet onions, these are the perfect option for retailers looking to bridge the gap between Bland Farms’ Premium Sweet Onions from Peru and Vidalia Sweet Onions. Mexican Sweet Onions are available in a variety of different packing options.
Peru Sweet Onions
Available: August – February
Our Premium Sweet Onions from Peru are the closest in appearance and flavor profile to their more famous cousin, the Vidalia Sweet Onion. We have our boots on the ground in Peru, working to cultivate an exceptional quality sweet onion that is available in a variety of packaging options.