Apr 26, 2021

Texas onion industry spearheads first-ever marketing campaign

In an effort to tell the story of the Texas 1015 Sweet Onion, the Texas International Produce Association has taken advantage of a USDA Specialty Crop Grant administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture. This effort will be largely focused on directly reaching American consumers through a variety of platforms, engagements, and awareness campaigns.

Texas 1015 Sweet Onions (TX1015s) used to be a household name throughout the Southern and Midwestern United States. Recently, TX1015 onions have suffered from a lack of consistent branding compared to their similar counterparts. This campaign includes new branding and messaging as well as a host of consumer outreach tools to spread the word. The imagery focuses on the iconic symbols and colors of Texas in order to create an immediate visual connection for consumers everywhere.

Spreading the Texas 1015 sweet onion message is about connecting with consumers and telling the stories of history, place and people that make these onions special. Those messages will be rooted in the underlying theme “Farmed by Texans, Famous by Families.” Using both traditional and digital platforms, the 2021 marketing program will make it easier for consumers to be a part of the story and will include:

–               A new recipe-centric consumer website

–               Trade marketing materials

–               Influencer partnerships

–               Social media marketing toolkit

“The story of the Texas Sweet Onion is over 100 years old, and we’re excited to start telling that history to communities beyond the industry,” said Dante Galeazzi, manager of the South Texas Onion Committee and CEO and president of TIPA.  “Consumers want to know where their food comes from and this effort will connect consumers directly with the grower as we share more about Texas 1015s.”

The marketing campaign kicked off on March 20th with a heavy focus on consumer engagement and has already garnered over 50,000 impressions, earned more than a thousand followers ready to take advantage of new content, unique recipes and online sweepstakes and giveaways.

Galeazzi continued, “It’s exciting to engage with our consumers and have conversations about where they can buy TX1015 Sweet Onions, swap recipes, learn where their food comes from and hear their feedback and excitement about our onions.”

Harvesting of the 2021 sweet onion crop is well underway. Quality and sizing are great throughout the growing region, with promotable volumes ready now and going through June.

The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) was founded in 1942 and represents over 330 member companies as they educate, advocate, promote and represent the fresh produce industry of more than $8 billion dollars that is either produced in Texas or considers Texas its first point of arrival for domestic distribution. For information, please visit www.texipa.org.

The South Texas Onion Committee (STOC) was founded in 1961 as a result of Federal Marketing Order #959 South Texas Onions. Order #959 authorizes quality regulations, research and promotion programs, and markings, pack and container regulations for onions grown in South Texas. The STOC is made up of growers and shippers handling onions in the 35 counties of South Texas that make up the governed area.