Our History | G&R Farms

Our humble roots began in 1945 as a small farm in Southeast Georgia

Back then, our grandfather Walter L. Dasher grew a few acres of a new sweet and mild onion variety. Over time, Walter became known as one of the pioneers who helped put Vidalia® onions on the map as a widely popular brand.

We’ve come a long way…

Since then we’ve evolved across three generations, expanding to more than 5,000 acres that encompass several crops. But our legacy has as always been to perfect the quality and flavor of our sweet onions, available year-round.

We’re also proud of our sustainability efforts especially with our Rainforest Alliance Certification. This enables us to ensure the health, well-being and livelihood of our farmworkers while protecting the environment for the next 75 years.

Even though there have been many changes since 1945, our values have remained the same. We’re rooted in honesty, integrity and sustainability, the cornerstone of our family farm. Check out our historical timeline.

Our Timeline

1920's-1970's

Piggly Wiggly was headquartered in Vidalia, Georgia. At that time, they recognized the potential of a new sweet onion named Vidalia. They counted on growers such as Walter Dasher for their supply and word quickly spread among shoppers until this new, flavorful variety grew in popularity.

After Walter’s passing in 1971, his sons’ Gerald and Robert renamed the operation G&R Farms. As demand kept increasing, the brothers started selling Vidalia sweet onions to out-of-state customers through a farm-based mail order business.

1980's

G&R became the first producers to market to a national supermarket chain when they began supplying Vidalia sweet onions for Kroger.

2009

Began to import onions from Peru in the off season from September – March to provide a year-round supply of Sweet Onions. Nearly identical to the Vidalia in terms of taste, sweetness and color, our onions grown in Peru have all the characteristics of a sweet and mild onion. They are grown from the same type of seed variety as our Vidalia onions and starting in 2020, they are certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

2015

Created Growing America’s Farmers. A non-profit that teams up with the Future Farmers Association (FFA) to provide scholarship funds to agriculture students.

2020

Celebrated our 75th Anniversary with a new logo and brand image that reflects who we are now. We’ve grown from a few acres to more than 5,000. Our main focus is sweet onions but we also grow corn, soybeans, peanuts, hay, wheat, rye and pecans. And are home to a 1,500 cow-calf beef herd operation.

2023

Undertook a major facility upgrade that included expansion of our packing equipment to optimize our quality and efficiency. More than eight years in planning this is a step forward in continuing to deliver premier service and customization for our customers.