Pear Bureau to retailers: offer ripe fruit

The Pear Bureau Northwest plans an “aggressive” reintroduction of a conditioned pear program, and is teaming up with the National Mango Board to drive home to retailers the importance of stocking ready-to-eat fruit.

According to a news release from the pear group, mangoes and pears have a “similar opportunity” to discuss ripe fruit programs with retailers.

“Many retailers also understand the consumer’s desire for ripe, great-tasting fruit, so we are redoubling our efforts to show them how they can achieve that through a conditioning program,” Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest, said in the release.

In announcing the ripe fruit initiative, the pear group cites a 2014 Usage and Attitude Study by Fusion Marketing. According to the study, most consumers want to eat pears within one to three days after purchase.

The Pear Bureau has actively promoted a ripe program for years, and 42 U.S. and Canadian retailers have a conditioned pears program, according to the release. But growth in the program has slowed in recent years.

“The industry buzz right now is around pear flavor and getting the best-tasting fruit into consumers’ hands and stomachs,” Moffitt said in the release. “With this in mind, the Pear Bureau will be focusing resources on a refresh of the pear category, capitalizing on industry momentum, a full crop, and renewed retail interest.”

The Pear Bureau Northwest has updated the conditioned pear section on its website, which has research and data to show the effectiveness of stocking ripe pears. That includes 2012 research by the Nielsen Perishables Group, according to the release, that shows ripe pears can outsell unripe pears by almost 20%.