Production of a unique sweet red onion is going from strength to strength in the UK. The partnership between Bedfordshire Growers Ltd. and Alastair Findlay Farming Partnership has gone from growing 40 tonnes in the 2013/14 season, to 80 tonnes in 2014/15 and this year as much as 200 tonnes of sweet red onion.
"We are still deciding how much to plant this year," explains William Findlay, a partner in the business. "You can't plant too much or there will not be the demand and you don't want to end up short either."
"Also considering the level of enquiries we had from Fruit Logistica in February it is tricky. The biggest market for us is North America. The sweet onion is a very small percentage of the UK onion market but growing rapidly. In the US ‘Sweets’ as they are known exceed it and is 20% of all onions retailed.”
While this onion hybrid won't grow at every latitude William believes it will grow in the north west Washington state area so it is possible they could have a contract grower growing it over there, but in the beginning they will export the sweet onion to the states.
"We believe this is first true sweet red onion in the world. Most of the sweet onions sold around the world are white, yellow or brown, this is the first one with colour," explains William. "A lot of onions in the US are sold as sweet but are actually mild, you need to have a clear distinction of what is sweet and what is mild. Mild is low pungency, sweetness comes from sugars."
"My father Alastair, has developed this onion hybrid over 20 years through tasting, he has tasted 400-500 hundred bulbs each year for the last 20 years and through natural selection has narrowed it down. He is looking not only for reduced pungency but also natural sugars, so unlike other onions it has been bred for natural sweetness and not just reduced pungency. The onion can also be chopped without tears, which is an added bonus," according to William. "My father has also looked for good eating quality, nice thick crunchy scales, and low bitterness and an enjoyable eating experience."
There has been a growth in demand in the UK for sweet onions and William explains that they were fortunate that ASDA was prepared to go with the sweet onion and launched it last year.
M&S are selling the sweet onion, packed by G's Fresh, in a two–in-line netted pack, a very attractive product with consumer information. It will also be back on the shelves with ASDA’s ‘Extra Special’ range in the new season.
"Drilling will start in the next three weeks, the cultivar has very similar growth to conventional red onions and will be harvested late August or early September. We are currently growing the product in the UK, Spain, Italy, South Africa and New Zealand. This is to help us supply the supermarkets year round. The Sweet Red onion has been developed as a spring sown crop. Other short day onions are generally sown in the Autumn and have limited storage. The Sweet Red can be supplied out of cold or controlled atmosphere storage till April or May.”
