“We're at the point where we have good volumes and a full manifest of sizes available on both coasts,” said Addie Pobst of Viva Tierra Organic. Pobst explained that they receive shipments of pears from Argentina on both coasts, and while the recent labor agreement between workers and operators on West Coast ports has them receiving fruit on the West Coast, there's still a backlog of fruit on the docks. But any delays caused by that backlog should clear up in the next few weeks.
“We have Red Bartletts and Green Bartletts,” said Pobst. “Our main varieties, like the Bartletts, Packhams, D'Anjous and Boscs – we'll have good volume on those. Then we'll have less volume on specialty varieties, like Abate Fetels.” Viva Tierra will also import apples from Chile and Argentina. This year, hail storms in Argentina and volcanic ash in Chile threatened tree fruit in those regions with cosmetic damage. But Pobst noted that none of Viva Tierra Organic's fruit has been affected, and volumes are expected to coincide with early estimates.
Prices for organic pears are lower than those seen at the beginning of the import season in 2014, but Pobst noted that those prices were especially high. While still moderate-to-high, current prices are more favorable for consumers. On a long-term scale, prices have been more consumer-friendly.
“If you look at market trends over the last five years, prices for organic pears have been more in line with prices for conventional fruit,” said Pobst. “But that wasn't the case last year. It's not consistent, and it depends on the year and the market, but the prices are converging.”
For more information:
Addie Pobst
Viva Tierra Organic, Inc.
Tel: +1 360-855-3195
addie@vivatierra.com
www.vivatierra.com