Onions 52 Brings Plenty to Smile About Ahead of SEPC; Falon Brawley Shares

OGDEN, UT - What better place to talk onions than face to face? As Onions 52 heads to the Southeast Produce Council (SEPC) show, Falon Brawley and the team are putting connection at the top of the agenda, using the show floor to hear directly from retail and foodservice partners and find ways to keep the category moving.

“Going into SEPC, our focus is really on connection. We’re looking forward to spending time with our retail and foodservice partners, hearing from them, and discussing how we can continue to support their onion programs,” Brawley shared.

That can mean ensuring consistent year-round supply, finding solutions for specific customer needs, or simply finding a more exciting way to put onions in front of shoppers.

“We’re always looking for ways to make our customers' jobs easier, whether that means providing a consistent year-round supply, finding solutions for a specific program, or collaborating on ways to create more excitement around onions at retail,” Brawley continued. “Ultimately, we want our partners to know they can come to us with an idea, challenge, or opportunity and have a team that is ready to work alongside them.”

Something to Smile About

Of course, one particularly smile-worthy topic is bound to come up.

As Onions 52 looks toward the late October/early November–April domestic season for Smileys® Tearless Sweet Onions, the company is continuing to build around a pretty straightforward proposition: all the sweetness and versatility shoppers want from an onion, minus one notorious part of prep.

“Smileys® Tearless Sweet Onions give consumers a unique reason to get excited about the onion category by addressing a very real consumer pain point: how to chop onions without crying,” Brawley explained. “Smileys take the sting out of prep while still delivering the sweetness, flavor, and versatility consumers expect from sweet onions.”

Onions 52 backs that proposition at retail with high-graphic display bins and cartons, social media toolkits, customized point-of-sale materials, and even out-of-home billboard advertising in select markets.

Those efforts are designed to do more than earn a first purchase. Brawley noted that the company has developed a loyal Smileys following, with shoppers reaching out to share how frequently they cook with the onions while they are in season.

“That kind of enthusiasm and repeat purchase is exactly what we want to continue building as we introduce more shoppers to the Smileys difference,” she said.

No Rushing a Good Thing

Generating trial is one thing. Making sure shoppers know what they’ll find every time they return is another. For Onions 52, that consistency is central to what the Smileys name is meant to represent.

“Most importantly, our Smileys brand promise is something we are proud of, and we’re unwavering about it,” Brawley detailed. “We want shoppers to trust that when they purchase Smileys®, they’re getting the same consistently sweet, tearless onion experience every time - no matter which onion they grab from the bag or what month of the season they purchase them.”

Delivering that experience starts well before the onions reach the produce department. Following harvest, Smileys move through a carefully managed natural curing and storage process, giving the onions the necessary time to reach the desired levels of sweetness and tearlessness.

“We don’t rush that process,” Brawley emphasized. “For us, it’s more important to get it right and make sure every onion carrying the Smileys name delivers the experience consumers have come to trust and love.”

Let's Talk Onions

For anyone who wants to keep that conversation going in person, Onions 52 will be at Booth 431.

“We’re always excited for the opportunity to connect and talk onions,” Brawley shared. “Whether it’s discussing an existing program, exploring something new, or finding creative ways to support the category, our team is eager to help.”

And that face time is exactly what makes regional events like SEPC valuable to the company.

“The produce industry is very relationship-driven, and there’s simply no replacement for being able to sit down together, hear what our partners are experiencing and talk through opportunities,” Brawley said. “It’s a great opportunity to strengthen existing partnerships, make new connections, and stay close to what’s happening across produce.”

Those conversations may start at Booth 431, but Onions 52 is thinking well beyond the show floor. ANUK will be watching as the team turns those connections into plenty more reasons for the onion category to smile.