Onion World: The Voice of the Onion Industry

New York Bold Onions Partners with Keystone Fruit

Onion World
November 2007

FULTON, N.Y. ¯ A new partnership between New York Bold, LLC and Keystone Fruit Marketing Inc. that will bring “America’s Cooking Onion” to the masses across America has been announced.

“This new partnership with Keystone will allow us to bring the taste and cooking versatility of New York Bold onions to consumers nationwide,” said Judy Queale-Dunsmoor, president of sales and
marketing for New York Bold. "Since we began to brand these onions, we have become the cooking onion for our regional area, and now we are ready to branch out into other markets. Keystone has the experience and resources to help us do just that,” she said.

Keystone Fruit Marketing, Inc. is one of the nation’s premier produce marketers. The company has been a major player in bringing onions back to the forefront of America’s culinary table. For Keystone, this new partnership broadens its palate of onion offerings and adds a unique geographical fl avor to its portfolio. Kurt Schweitzer, Keystone owner, was impressed how New York Bold farmers have marketed the brand.

“We are looking forward to building this new relationship with these growers,” he said. “They have invested in new equipment, invested in their own marketing and developed a strong local brand. These separate growers realized they had a unique product, worked together to develop it and understood that it could easily be marketed beyond New York State to a national marketplace. That, to me,
indicates their dedication and makes them an excellent partner for Keystone.”

The uniqueness of the New York Bold onion was also impressive to Schweitzer.

“This onion is so good and has a long shelf life,” said Schweitzer. “Our customers have raved about it. It’s unique in so many ways as an excellent cooking onion. We’ve been in the onion business for 30 years and promote many varieties. We promote the best of the best, and New York Bold fi ts that description perfectly.”

Educational Effort Planned
National availability of New York Bolds will add to the variety of onions consumers can choose from. With so many types and varieties from sweets to hybrids, Keystone plans to focus on educating the
consumer on the particular properties of New York Bolds.

“In today’s market with consumers learning about a wide variety of cooking styles and recipes, one onion simply does not fit all,” Schweitzer said. “Sweet onions do not meet every need. Bold onions do
not meet every need. We think these two types of onions compliment each other and can offer consumers distinct taste choices. We plan to educate consumers on this particular onion by going out and showing them what it can do for America’s dinner tables.”

Keystone Fruit Marketing promotes onions and other produce nationwide via print, web and educational opportunities with their own Chef Dave Munson. Chef Munson tours grocery stores to educate consumers on various onion types. New York Bold will now become one of those varieties as Keystone adds this new cooking onion to its mix.

“By having a chef travel and prepare food made with our onions, we can reach more customers,” Queale-Dunsmoor said. “Since the real flavor of our onions comes out best when cooked, having a chef
prepare samples on site is the best way to educate consumers about New York Bolds. When they purchase a bag of our onions, they also receive an education through information on the package concerning the onion and recipe tips.”

The influx of new and specialized foods has made finding the right niche for a particular product an educational experience.

“With so many different types of food capturing the interest of consumers, education is the best way to introduce people to a new product,” Schweitzer said. “New York Bold brings a unique new
taste to the table. I am looking forward to a long-lasting relationship with the New York Bold brand,” he said.

New York Bold onions are on the other side of the taste spectrum. The onions have 50 percent more sugar content than conventional onions and unleash their pungent flavor in the pan. They caramelize faster than most onions without flavor loss.

“This is a bold onion,” said New York Bold representative Jeff Wallace. “This is not an onion you bite into and eat like an apple unless you are really hard core. The beauty of this onion is the taste you get from it once it is cooked.”

New York Bold was established in 2001 by a consortium of 14 farmers in Oswego County, N.Y. The onions are grown in the dark, rich soil called “muck” at the shores of Lake Ontario. This soil was formed by the glaciers and is abundant in sulfur containing compounds that give the New York Bold onion its intense flavor and consistent character.

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