With the 2024 pear crop projected to be the smallest in 40 years due to winter freeze, Wenatchee, Wash-based Stemilt says it is presenting five ways for retailers to address sales challenges during the rare crop.
“It’s been a long time since the industry has experienced pear volumes like this, yet there are still opportunities to be explored within Stemilt’s pear mix,” Stemilt Marketing Director Brianna Shales said in a news release. “Early planning will help retailers maximize this crop. For example, organic pears will have promotion opportunities, while varieties like red d’anjou and Happi Pear act as substitutes for others down in volume.”
With the conventional side of pear offerings down this year, increasing organic promotion is ideal, according to Stemilt. Retailers can run a monthly organic red and green pear promotion while available to encourage pear purchases within the category.
“Stemilt is a unicorn with an organic pear crop that is up 40% year over year,” Shales said. “Organics are a great way to drive dollars to the pear category in times where volumes are not in excess. Better yet, our new, state-of-the-art pear packing line has automated capabilities which will allow us to dial in on handling pears carefully, keeping them fresh, and improving the flavor experience for consumers.”
The second way to bring quality to the table for the pear category will be substituting bosc for red d’anjou pears, Stemilt says, adding that the bosc crop was large last year, which means 2024 would be its off year.
The variety also was impacted by weather, causing a shortage on bosc industrywide.
“A third variety we’re very excited for this year is Stemilt’s exclusive offering of Happi Pear,” Shales said. “Happi will be available in limited supplies in September and October, but [it] is the pear of the future to start building sales around.”
Retailers can also build pear sales throughout the season is with Stemilt’s Lil Snappers, offering parents and their kids’ convenience as back-to-school season comes around, according to the release. The kid-centric brand can be a vehicle for opportunities with smaller-sized pears. Another self-merchandising pear bag that retailers can feature is an in-and-out endeavor with frost impacted pears.
“We are introducing a new poly bag, Frostbite Pears, for a value opportunity,” Shales said. “This creative packaging solution is for pears with russet-like marks or rings on the skin, caused by frost. Frostbite Pears might look different, but they have the same flavorful experience known in Stemilt’s Rushing Rivers program.”
