This year in the domestic pear category is undoubtedly a unique year with much of the focus on managing a tighter pear supply from the Pacific Northwest. "Mother Nature had some unusual activity in the spring and some pear varieties such as Bosc were hit really hard and didn't produce as much. Other varieties such as Bartlett had to deal with frost which has further shortened the crop from reduced packouts. Overall it's one of the shortest crops we've had in recent history," says Mac Riggan with Chelan Fresh.
In terms of varieties, Bartlett pears will likely finish up mid to late February and Bosc are on track to finish this year in March, about two months earlier than usual. (The Bosc crop was believed to be down the most percentage-wise compared to other varieties.) Meanwhile, Anjou pears should be available until June. (They are usually available through July and even into August.)
The growth in consumption
At the same time, the consumption of pears has grown with the millennial generation, adding to the challenge of managing supply. "Some people out there really love pears and I've heard that millennials are more into them than other generations which is positive," says Riggan. "I do think there's still work to be done to drive awareness of pears and get consumers engaged. That may be something as simple as demonstrations on ripened Anjous. I talk to people who grew up eating crunchy pears and that's what they think a pear should be. They're good, yes, but not as good as they could be when ripened properly."
To help grow that consumption and awareness, shippers are taking big steps to improve the eating quality of pears. This includes significant investments into ripening rooms and more. "Retailers also need to be on board in terms of rotating stock and ensure they're not "beaten up" when they're a bit ripe," he says. "It's easier to display the firmer unconditioned pears versus preripened pears."
Also helping with growing consumption is the good eating quality pears have this year. That said, the demand right now is adequate and Riggan also adds that the demand on organic Anjous isn't as strong as anticipated.
Contending with shelf space
Another factor in how well pears are moving is shelf space: shelf space can be lost if there isn't enough supply.
All of this is making pricing challenging this year. "It's hard to raise the price FOB high enough to make up for lower volume," says Riggan. "This is going to be a challenging year for marketers to turn this into a profitable crop for growers. After all, it's not as simple as demand exceeds supply which dictates the pear deal."
While pricing is somewhat stronger on pears this season, they're also higher at retail which means it's a balancing act to not inhibit movement of the fruit. "When things are tight, you find out who your product is most dear to–at a certain price, everybody's buying but at a higher price, it's fewer people buying because there's less supply," says Riggan.
Meanwhile the shorter domestic crop likely means that import pears will be on their way earlier this spring.
For more information:
Mac Riggan
Chelan Fresh
Tel: (+1) 509-682-6074
[email protected]
www.chelanfresh.com