"We are at the birth of a new pear"

After Johan van Waes saw a striped Conference pear on a branch of his ordinary pear tree, he decided to act. The ensuing mutation was a success. The fruit grower from Schoondijke in Flanders put hundreds of man hours into the propagation of this new variety, and after many years, Johan finally applied for PVP applications, which were granted in 2011. The striped pear was named Tiger Conference. Affiliate marketing company Next Fruit Generation (NFG) commercializes the variety as the Tiger Pear.

The Tiger Pear is a mutant of the Conference and has a sweeter taste than its famous precursor. Both the fruit and the wood show a difference in color. The cultivation of the striped pear does not deviate. The yield, however, is five to ten % higher than the standard Conference.

Now that the rights have been secured, Van Waes and NFG can work on a long-term marketing plan. For now, acreage expansion tops the list of things to do. 30,000 trees will be added to the production line in the coming season, courtesy of nursery Verbeek in Steenbergen.

Last year though, there were some serious delays. Heavy frost killed 35,000 trees in the nursery, leaving a one-year gap in propagation. However, those involved are optimistic about the future of Tiger Pear, although it always will remain a niche product. "We are now at the forefront of a new peer, and things can only get better."

jvandoorn@n-f-g.nl