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The Vidalia
Onion story takes root in Toombs County, Georgia over 60 years ago, when a
farmer by the name of Mose Coleman discovered in the late spring of 1931 that the onions
he had planted were not hot, as he expected. They were sweet!
It was a struggle to sell the onions at first but Coleman persevered, and managed to
sell them for $3.50 per 50 pound bag, which in those days was a big
price.
Other farmers, who through the depression years hadn't been able to get a fair
price for their produce, thought Coleman had found a gold mine. They began to follow
suit, and soon after, their farms were also producing the sweet mild onion.
In the
1940's, the State of Georgia build a Farmers Market in Vidalia, and because the
small town was at the juncture of some of South Georgia's most widely traveled highways,
the market had a thriving tourist business. Word began to spread about those Vidalia
onions. Consumers then gave the onions their famous name. Reorders were made,
and "Vidalia Onions" began appearing on the shelves of Piggly Wiggly and A&P
grocery stores.
Through the 1950's and 60's, production grew at a slow but steady pace, reaching
some 600 total acres but the min 1970's. At that point, a push was made for Vidalia
Onions to be distributed throughout the nation, and several promotions efforts were begun.
Onion festivals became an annual event in both Vidalia and nearby Glennville,
Georgia, and production grew tenfold over the next decade. In 1986,
Georgia's state legislature passed legislation giving the Vidalia Onion legal status and
defining the 20 county production area. The Vidalia Onion was named Georgia's
Official State Vegetable by the state legislature in 1990.
In 1989, Vidalia Onion producers united to establish Federal Marketing Order No.955
for the crop. This USDA program established the Vidalia Onion Committee
and extended the definition of a Vidalia Onion to the Federal level. The marketing
order provided a vehicle for producers to jointly fund research and promotional
programs.
Beginning in 1990, technology borrowed from the apple industry was adapted to begin
the controlled atmosphere (CA) storage of Vidalia Onions. Now, some 125 pounds of
Vidalia Onions can be put into CA storage for up to 7 months, thus extending
the marketing of Vidalia's through the fall and into the holiday season.
In 1991, the Vidalia Onion Committee began to annually honor one individual with
induction into the Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame. The committee considers the
recipient's character, reputation and overall contribution of the growth and success
of the Vidalia Onion. Inductees must be a leader in one or more of the
following areas: protecting and promoting the name of the Vidalia Onion, protecting and
promoting the quality of the Vidalia Onion, advertising and promoting the Vidalia Onion,
sales of Vidalia Onions and creative selling methods, or research and growth development
of the Vidalia Onion. |
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