While HDC Lamotte is wrapping up its apricot campaign in the Drôme department, the company, also known for its Delicatesse potatoes, is now moving on to the pear season. This strategic diversification was initiated 6 years ago, and now represents a volume of 200 tons in its third year of production.
Harrow Sweet orchards
Apricots and pears: two similar and complementary crops
"We chose to plant pear trees for a number of reasons," explains Christophe Lamotte, director of the company. "At the time, we were in the process of developing our packing station, initially intended for our apricot production. We were building an extension and we needed additional volumes to fill the cold rooms. As the apricot season ended around the 15th-20th of August, we had to find a successor crop, and pears were the ideal candidate. In terms of timetable, harvesting starts at the end of July and packing begins in November. Like the apricot, the pear is a fruit that needs to be ripened and has a strong flavor. These two crops are therefore both similar and complementary.
Harrow Sweet
Four varieties of pears on 10 hectares of orchards, with a target of 400 tons
HDC Lamotte is now starting out with a target of 400 tons of its own production, plus 400 tons of additional production. Four varieties make up the 10 hectares of orchards. "We have planted the William, the Harrow Sweet - a very good variety that keeps well and stays firm - the Harrow Sundown - from the same family, but slightly larger in size - and the Packham, a late-ripening pear. These 4 traditional varieties complement each other in terms of calendar. Pears take a relatively long time to come into production, especially as we decided to plant a high-density orchard, trellised to 4m. Getting the trees to grow taller takes time. We use single-row netting and irrigation is done via an underground drip system. We have just finished harvesting the Harrow Sundown variety and the Packham harvest is about to start.
Harrow Sweet
Organic pears: a market with interesting opportunities
In addition to the production aspect, the opportunities presented by the pear market in France - an organic one at that - finally convinced HDC Lamotte to diversify into this crop. "At a time when consumption in France is higher than the national production, the pear market seemed attractive to us. The processing market was also interesting, and 6 years ago, the organic market was very dynamic. From mid-December onwards, the market became clearer, as there really was not much supply of organic pears. We therefore decided to go for this niche, bearing in mind that it is always much easier to convert an organic crop into a conventional one than the other way round. Additionally, there are not too many pear orchards in the region, and we always love a new challenge!"
For more information:
Christophe Lamotte
HDC Lamotte
Tel: +33 475450600
[email protected]