Red Onions

Product Description

This is widely cultivated Allium crop in the country; our red onion (Allium cepa L.) is a popular pickling staple. We call it in Swahili kitunguu maji; this species is composed of cloves that form a large bulb with a purplish-red exterior. Purple-edged cloves whitely subdivide its flesh. Its smell is more pungent than that of the sweet onion. It also has a high water content that dilutes its flavor as a spice.

Origin of our Onions

We source our red onions from family farmers in area of Arusha, Manyara and Kilimanjaro. Here, farmers who double as horticulturalists of various vegetables rely mainly on furrow irrigation. They cultivate on an average 1 to 2 acres of land. This makes their land organically manageable using farmyard manure. They also forgo the application of chemical sprays to keep their crops residual-free.

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Harvesting

Our harvesting routine for red onions begins with the examination of the leaves that should be wilted when the bulbs are mature. The bulbs at this time are plump and fully red-colored and slightly show their skin from the ground. Our trained workers use shovels to uproot the 90-day old bulbs and then ease them off the ground by hand.

We cart away the red onion harvest, roots and all, to the curing shed. Here, we lay the bulbs on top of wire racks that help to dry them in the space of about three days in the sun. For maximum aeration and exposure, we lay the harvest in a single layer and poke it now and then to ensure all sides are thoroughly dry. We finally extract dirt and debris and trim the roots and sheath in readiness for packing.

Packing

We pack our red onions in produce boxes, crates or cartons with a basic weight capacity of 11.3 kilograms. Alternatively, we use the larger 22.6-kilogram net or jute bags. These come pre-cooled to ensure that the bulbs keep fresh and retain their pungency during transit. We finally label them with such details as the name of the produce, the date of packing, the net weight and the country of origin.

We store our red onions in a moderately dry, cool environment full of ventilation. We store them in their net or jute bag packages at 0 degrees Celsius. We only hold the produce temporarily before sending it forth.

We transport them to the airport in Kilimanjaro at this same temperature via our trucks with refrigeration on board. You can expect the supply to reach your destination on the same day or two after dispatch.

In a serious note, our red onions are some of East Africa’s most elegant, no wonder they are in high demand in even regional countries like Kenya, Rwanda and Comoro. We do our part of ensuring quality by sourcing only from family growers with Global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certifications. You can expect the cargo to reach your destination in a shipshape condition and the right quantity, as you will have stipulated. Fittingly, we put our prices on the lower margin of the current market rates to suit our clients’ budgets. Make an order now!

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