2023 Retail and Consumer Promotions for TX1015 Sweet Onions Exceed Goals

The South Texas Onion Committee (STOC) was busy April through mid-July promoting Texas 1015 Sweet Onions, resulting in another record-breaking marketing program this spring and early summer focusing on increasing brand awareness and sales of the Texas 1015 Sweet Onion. 

This year, STOC launched their most comprehensive campaign to date including live, print, digital, television, and in-store promotions throughout the season, aimed at retailers, consumers, and trade. 

STOC kicked off the Texas 1015 season with a Virtual Field Tour at the Viva Fresh Expo where 184 participants, mainly retailers, had a first-hand look at the field and the process that goes into delivering the sweetest Texas 1015 sweet onions. “The virtual field tours are always popular and “get back to the dirt” by providing a valuable look inside the operations that deliver our nation’s first sweet onion to market each year. Because the tour is live, it is like visiting the operation for yourself and creates great dialogue between our Texas farmers and the stores that will eventually offer Texas 1015 sweet onions to consumers,” said Dante Galeazzi, manager of the South Texas Onion Committee and President of Texas International Produce Association. 

Consumer-focused promotions included a social media campaign that garnered a nearly 15% increase in followers from 2022, a sweepstakes bringing in over 260,000 unique entries and 1.3 million engagements, and a food influencer recipe program and contest featuring seven influencers and harvesting over 600 live votes. 

New to consumer promotions this year and greatly amplifying promotion reach were an Instacart ad campaign and story segments published by Texas food legend David Elder of KSAT12’s Texas Eats on television, social media, and digital. 

Rounding out 2023’s consumer promotions was the highly anticipated, and always popular TX1015 Restaurant Week. Hosted in the Rio Grande Valley, this event featured seven restaurants who highlighted their delicious local fare featuring Texas 1015 sweet onions and boosting engagement throughout.

Designed to increase awareness around the Texas 1015 season and availability, the campaign integrated retailer promotions and trade advertising together with this season’s program. STOC partnered with three Texas retailers to promote sales with in-store and digital promotions and a season-long ad campaign in popular trade publications.

“The proof is in the numbers. This year’s robust campaign successfully reached audiences directly, through social media, through retail, and through trade – and it left an impact,” remarked Galeazzi. 

Harvest of the Texas 1015 onions has wrapped up, and although excessive and heavy rains did damage some fields, yields were plentiful, and demands were met thanks to the hard work of Texas farmers and farm workers. Not to mention the rising popularity of the Texas 1015 has resulted in a nearly 40% increase in acreage planted this year.

Contact your Texas 1015 sales agent to plan your Texas 1015 program for next season. For more information, crop reports, updates, marketing tools, videos, recipes, and everything Texas 1015 sweet onions, visit tx1015.com. Sign up for the Texas 1015 newsletter to stay up to date, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Mark your calendars for more Texas 1015 sweet onions in March 2024.

The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) was founded in 1942 and represents nearly 400 member companies as they educate, advocate, promote and represent on behalf of the fresh produce industry of more than $12 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.