Stemilt Growers expects quality pear crop
Stemilt Growers expects a strong pear crop in 2023, says Brianna Shales, marketing director for the Wenatchee, Wash.-based marketer.
“We’ve had great growing conditions this year and expect fantastic quality, color and great fruit size,” Shales said.
As of Aug. 22, the Northwest industry had not come out with the 2023 crop estimate, but Shales said indications point to a crop that is smaller compared with the 2022 version, which was rated at 18 million cartons.
“We are very encouraged by the quality of this crop,” she said. “Even though there is less supply than a year ago, there is still opportunity for promotions on pears.”
Stemilt’s pear season runs year-round, with the d’anjou variety available in October and running through July. Bartlett is in season from August through February while bosc (brown) and red pears are available from fall to spring.
“Stemilt pears are Rushing Rivers pears, and we focus our marketing and merchandising efforts on helping educate shoppers about where pears come from — the best locales in the world — and how to ripen and enjoy them,” Shales said. “December is a key month for promotions and a time we encourage multivariety ads and broader pear displays.”
2023 outlook
The 2022-23 crop featured good opportunities for promotion and decent quality despite many weather challenges including cold during bloom and multiple hailstorms.
Shales the pear crop in the Northwest this year is down year-over-year because fruit had significant drop post bloom.
“We had a ‘flash bloom’ in Washington where warm temperatures during bloom caused flowering to occur quickly,” she said. “Overall, we will be down about 15% from last year on pears with d’anjou as the crop with the most drop impact. Last year’s crop was not a record by any means, but pears are still going to be promotable and growing conditions have been great for a quality crop of good-sized fruit.”
Promotion possibilities
December is a key month for pear promotions, including specialty varieties like concorde, Shales said.
Organic is a small part of the overall pear deal because growers face more challenges to grow the fruit organically. However, organic pears account for about 15% of Stemilt’s pear program, Shales said.
“We can farm organics because of the ideal locales we produce pears in,” she said. “We will be down slightly compared to last year in organics, with organic bosc being the most impacted. We are up in volume of organic red pears and concorde, a specialty variety. All of our organic pears are marketed under the Artisan Organics label.”
Happi Pear
Stemilt has the right to grow and market Happi Pear in the U.S., and the marketer is strategically growing that variety.
“It’s the HW624 cultivar and comes from Vineland’s breeding program in Canada,” Shales said. “We are excited about its ability to grow well in our climate, and the pear’s unique texture and flavor. Happi Pear is 'sweet with a bright and zesty bite' and is 'The Fruit For Every Smile.' We’ve marketed it for two seasons now and have a decent increase to broaden distribution slightly in 2023.”
October will be the time that Stemilt highlights the Happi Pear variety at retail, Shales said. “We have a full branded look and ready-to-display program to help retailers call attention to this new pear item.”
Another variety on the uptick is the bosc pear variety, she said. “Stemilt also has a larger conventional bosc crop compared to last year, up about 15%, and more red pears.”
Core varieties bartlett and d’anjou are down this year as part of the overall crop trend, Shales said.
Packaging plus
Bagged pears are a great way for retailers to build pear sales, she said. Stemilt markets pears in 3-pound Lil Snappers brand pouch bags, and the pouch bag has become a great avenue for smaller pears.
“It positions the fruit to parent shoppers and helps increase the average purchase size,” Shales said. “Not long ago, bags were not a big part of the pear mix (less than 10%), but they now make up 17% of the category,” Shales said. “If retailers are lagging here, it would be a great merchandising vehicle to trial.”
Lil Snappers represent a great way to boost pear volumes because the package provides parent shoppers with a convenient pickup item, and positions pears as the kid-friendly snack that they are, she said.
Stemilt works with retailers to carry ripened pears via its RipeRite program, Shales said. That program is powered by an R&D-backed protocol for ripening and ThermalTech Tarpless ripening rooms, she said.
“Ripened pears [is] a proven way to increase d’anjou sales through consistency in flavor and increased turns,” she said.
Export demand
Mexico is the top export market for Stemilt pears, she said.
“Mexico continues to be a strong export market and leads the way for pear shipments outside of domestic/Canada,” Shales said. “Central and South America are also strong markets.”
