Onion Warehouses
Easterday Farms has two facilities for sorting and packing onions. In 1995, we started in the onion packing business at our Pasco, Wa facility. It is the largest of our onion facilities and where most of the yellow-spanish onions are packed. In 2005, we began packing onions in a second facility in Othello, WA. In this warehouse we pack most of our red and white onions. These warehouses are strategically located nearest to the farms where the product is grown.

Electronic Sorting and Sizing
The onions are optically sized and graded using a Compac electronic sorter.  Onions are conveyed through a camera tunnel, where 24 pictures of each onion are taken. This information is used to grade for defects such as balding, greening and misshape and determines what drop along the sizer the onion is tipped to. This state-of-the-art system also sorts and tips the onions by diameter size, count or weight.

"Sewn" Bags
The majority of our onions are packed into a 50# or 25# mesh bag.  The bag top is automatically sewn, providing a safe and secure packaging.  We introduced the “sewn” bag to our customers over 10 years ago, when the rest of the industry was still hand tying each bag.  It is another tool we use to minimize labor costs and give our customers a consistent product.

Quality Control
Very strict in-house Quality Control standards result in reliable and consistent onion packs that customers can depend on. Constant communication between the Easterday QC manager and the sales staff ensures that the customer gets the quality and size that was specified.  A USDA inspector is available for on line or load inspections.  We also welcome on-site inspection by customers. 

"Consumer" Pack
Many of our onions are packed in smaller packages suitable for retail sales.  These packs include 2,3,5, and 10# bags sold in mesh baler bags or in cardboard bins (see adjacent picture).  We also have high graphic 3# bag that includes recipes, tips for handling and contact information for easy access to our office.

Automatic Palletizing
The majority of our pallets are automatically “palletized.”  This machine (see adjacent picture) stacks the bags in a form to the designated pallet height.  Once completed, the pallet moves on a track to an automatic wrapper, where it is tightly bound with a breathable mesh material.  This process results in a hardy pallet of onions that can now withstand the transit to its ultimate destination. Many of our onions are sent by containership to Southeast Asia and the sturdy wrapping is necessary to maintain the pallet form during transit.