Mission, Texas – The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) is busy promoting Texas 1015 Sweet Onions (TX1015) thanks to a USDA-AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture. The grant will fund another record-breaking marketing program this spring focusing on increasing brand awareness and sales of the TX1015 Sweet Onion, aimed at both retailers and consumers.
April marked the official launch of the comprehensive marketing campaign that includes print, digital, and live and in-person promotions throughout the season. Among new or improved retailer initiatives this season are an extensive trade advertising program and greater in-store promotions.
To facilitate brand awareness about the original sweet onion, TIPA kicked off the TX1015 season with an informational virtual field tour at the Viva Fresh Expo. “We’re excited we are able to dedicate additional funds to retailer-centric promotions that highlight the versatility and flavor of the state vegetable of Texas,” said Dante Galeazzi, manager of the South Texas Onion Committee and CEO and President of TIPA.
The consumer-focused promotions in this year’s campaign will reach further and wider than any previous year. Consumers should keep their eyes open for fun promotions including sweepstakes and weekly giveaways, a food influencer recipe program and contest with resulting cookbook, a feature story by Texas food legend David Elder of Texas Eats, and the TX1015 Eat Sweet restaurant week event hosted in the Rio Grande Valley.
“This year’s robust campaign is already off to a fantastic start and we’re confident it will reach our audiences and leave an impact,” remarked Galeazzi. “Many consumers are not aware that all US-grown sweet onions were bred from the original TX1015 sweets and we’re on a mission to fix that,” he concluded.
Harvest of the TX1015 onions is well underway, and excellent quality and availability are expected to continue through early summer. Contact your TX1015 sales agent to plan your TX1015 program. For more information & updates on the 2023 program, or if you’re a grower or distributer, visit tx1015.com. Sign up for the TX1015 newsletter to stay up to date, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.
About the Texas International Produce Association
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.
About South Texas Onion Committee
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.
