Peri family committed to premium production in Central Valley

by Lora Abcarian  

June 20, 2016

Each year, Peri & Sons Farms, headquartered in Yerington, NV, with growing operations in California’s Central Valley, move quality premium onions into the pipeline. “Every family farm is as unique and complex as the family that operates it,” the company’s website states. “Diverse as they can be, there is one common thread holding farms like ours together — the family. Regardless of technology, size and product, we believe that all family farms owe their success, in part, to the unconditional participation of the family’s members.”

The Peri family began its farming operations on a 100-acre parcel of land in Nevada. Today, the company produces over 350 million pounds of onions each year.

Committed to providing its customers with year-round uninterrupted supplies of exceptional white, yellow, red, sweet and organic onions upon which the company has staked its reputation, operations were expanded in California in 2007.

 “We grow our earliest spring onions with the help of our longtime partner and friend, George Mainas, in El Centro, CA,” the website states. “The Mainas’ have a long heritage of growing a wide variety of top-quality, fresh fruits in the central valley. The Mainas family’s historic expertise as growers and the farm’s dedication to unsurpassed quality made them the perfect partner for [David Peri’s] expansion into California.”

Jessica Peri, the company’s retail sales manager, said that operations in El Centro and Firebaugh, CA, represent another step in the long-range plan for continual, managed growth.

The California onion harvest is already in full swing, and Peri said its California facilities will be humming through October as volume is moved to the marketplace. California’s agricultural producers were anticipating El Niño weather patterns would prevail this growing season.

Turning to production in California, Peri said, “There were rains in the Central Valley that concerned us a bit. But overall rain didn’t have as big of an impact on the first varieties harvested. Some of the last fields that will be harvested received quite a bit of rain, and the impact is yet to be determined.”

While the company decided against organic production in Firebaugh this year, Peri said she anticipates organics will be included in next year’s manifest.

Turning to sizing and quality, Peri said the first onions harvested were smaller than normal. “The rest of the crop is projected to be heavy to jumbo,” she added.

In addition to its colored onions, Peri’s signature Sweetie Sweet onion will be available in mid-July. Peri said consumer anticipation for this variety is always high.

The company is mindful of the important role onions fill in the American kitchen, and Peri said the name of the game is options.

Last year, Peri& Sons participated in the PMA’s eat brighter! Campaign. Peri said three-pound combo packaging, which includes red, white and yellow onions, is gaining in popularity. “More retailers are carrying it,” she told The Produce News. The company’s Bloomin BBQ promotion continues to be favored by consumers.

“We are still doing our OnionXpress promotion,” Peri went on to say. “Our mailer and T-shirts will be going out this week [with] random drawing every month to win money and prizes. With each order placed, the customer is entered into the drawing. The more orders placed, the chances of winning increase,” she noted.

Peri & Sons Farms’ packing and shipping facilities, including those in California’s Central Valley, are state-of-the-art, utilizing advanced farming technologies. “Just as in Yerington, our California operation is regularly audited by SCS Global to ensure everything is clean, safe and GFSI/GLOBAL GAP Compliant,” the website adds.

http://www.theproducenews.com/more-company-profiles/company-profiles/18982-peri-family-committed-to-premium-production-in-central-valley