The marketing campaign is currently underway at a slow pace for Spanish pears, although with hope that the demand will pick up again after the Christmas holidays.
"As far as the organic pear season is concerned, we haven't suffered as much of a drop in the production as we have in the conventional season," says Eduard Reixachs, Manager of the Catalan company Fruit Nature. "In fact, we will reach about 80% of a standard year's production."
"It has been a good year for the Limonera pear. Its marketing is now finished and we are currently working with the Eliot pear. It is a very good pear that combines the characteristics of a winter pear with those of a summer pear. I would say that, in terms of flavor and texture, it is even better than the Conference, and it is starting to be promoted. However, in the pear market it is very difficult to introduce new varieties," says Reixachs.
"I remember that 40 or 50 years ago, when the Conference started to be planted, we decided to set up a plantation and in the first few years it was close to impossible to sell it," he says. "Twenty years later, the Conference pear was already the most widely consumed, and today it is the most common pear in Catalonia. It is an example of how new varieties can eventually be successful, although I hope that the Eliot won't take twenty years to achieve this too."
"As far as the demand is concerned, things tend to become a bit slower at Christmas time because of competition with other products, which are often more exotic, so apples and pears usually lag behind. Thus, as in other years, we hope to get the season off to a strong start after the festive season is over," says Reixachs.
Fruit Nature specializes in the production of organic and biodynamic pome fruit, especially pears. "We still have some Granny and Gala apples, but we are increasingly focusing on organic pear production. Labor is becoming more and more expensive and difficult to find and that has led us to switch from apple orchards to almond orchards, as this is a crop that can be mechanized, so we are not as affected by the difficulties in finding workers," says Eduard Reixachs.
"We have also never truly managed to have a good market in Spain. We have tried to open lines in Spain and, in fact, we have managed to collaborate with specific clients but, in general, our organic fruit needs to be sold to European markets. More resources should go to promoting the value of organic food among Spanish consumers, to make them aware that fruit quality is not only measured by its size or external appearance but also by how it has been grown and all the benefits it can bring when consumed. We still have a long way to go, but we have to try," he says.
For more information:
Fruit Nature
Calle Generalitat, 22, 25242 Miralcamp, Lleida, Spain
Tel.: +34 667 937 011
[email protected]
https://fruitnaturesat.com