California Pears business updates

David J. Elliot adds pouch bag

David J. Elliot & Son, Courtland, Calif., will add 2-pound pouch bags to its pear packaging options this season, said Larelle Miller, sales manager.

The company has offered a 3-pound bag for two years.

Consumer bags still account for only a small part of the company’s volume, she said, but they’re “a convenience factor for moms with school-age children who just wants to grab a bag with smaller pears in it.”

The company also is using ozone in all of its storage areas this season, she said.

Ozone helps reduce ethylene gas generated by pears, she said.

Greene & Hemly expands organics

Greene & Hemly Inc., Courtland, Calif., continues to expand its organic program, owner Doug Hemly said.

The company has been growing organic pears for nearly 20 years, he said. About 40% of the firm’s pears are organically grown.

Greene & Hemly also offers preconditioned fruit and a wide range of packaging options, including hand-wrapped pears, Euro trays, mesh bags and tri-wall bins.

Rivermaid offers packaging options

Rivermaid Trading Co., Lodi, Calif., continuously looks at new ways to package pears, said Kyle Persky, sales manager.

Besides standard wrap and 36-pound tight-fill boxes, the company offers 2-, 3- and 4-pound pouch bags and 3-, 5- and 6-pound regular poly bags for bartletts.

Rivermaid also packs poly bags and a 2-pound pouch bag for bosc pears and is working on 5-pound pouch bags for that variety.

Viva Tierra Organic hires salesman

Viva Tierra Organic Inc., Mount Vernon, Wash., which also markets pears from California, has hired a new salesman. Erik Lee, most recently with Earthbound Farm, San Juan Bautista, Calif., has joined the firm’s sales staff, salesman Paul McCaffrey said.

Viva Tierra, which ships organic bartlett pears and some organic bosc and organic gold russet boscs, expects to start picking July 10, McCaffrey said.