With harvest underway throughout the four growing regions, Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) announces the first estimate of the 2024-25 fresh pear crop for Washington and Oregon. The industry's fresh pear estimate is 10.6 million standard box equivalents, which is down 31 percent from the five-year average.
Bosc pears see the steepest decline, down 62 percent from last year. The cumulative effects of intense freeze the past couple of years are the driver of this year's drop. Green Anjou (down 36 percent from the five-year average) is the other most impacted variety.
The organic pear estimate is expected to come in at 1.4 million standard box equivalents, or 13 percent of the total projected Northwest crop.
Across all regions, harvest started in early August for Starkrimson and Bartlett pears, with growers beginning to pick Bosc, green, and red Anjou by late August. Harvest for specialty varieties such as Comice, Seckel, Forelle, and Concorde will be completed by late September.
"Despite this year's shorter crop and some regional differences in overall appearance, this year's harvest will continue to deliver a great eating experience for consumers," says CarrieAnn Arias, president and CEO.
Domestic promotions
The 2024-25 season will feature an evolution of last year's consumer advertising campaign with a deeper dive into the personalities of different varieties while continuing to educate and inspire consumers with recipes celebrating the versatility of pears.
Early season promotions will include a partnership with Tajin in October, to observe National Pizza Month. For National Diabetes Month in November, PBNW is collaborating with dietitians who will share new diabetes-friendly recipes across social media. December, which is National Pear Month, will showcase more versatility on the ninth annual World Pear Day, December 7. This event will feature a new partnership with the online community of culinary creators, Kittch, during which chefs will compete in four rounds to include appetizers, main courses, desserts, and a free round.
International promotions
"The export team is ready to promote USA Pears to whichever export markets they are shipped to for the upcoming season," says Jeff Correa, director of international marketing. "The expectation, due to the size of the crop, is that Mexico and Canada will receive the bulk of the export volume this season."
PBNW will have promotion programs focusing on in-store activities as well as larger-scale activities such as movie tie-ins and TV advertising in Mexico. Digital marketing efforts have become a bigger part of the promotional toolbox during the past few years, and PBNW has plans to continue to be very active in this space with the leading retailers in Mexico, Canada, and Central America. Finally, PBNW will also develop an in-store and social media campaign to promote and establish the red Anjou pear in more of the export markets this season.
For more information:
Jim Morris
USA Pears
[email protected]
www.usapears.org