Research conducted by the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) in 2014 showed that the average Canadian doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about pears when they’re grocery shopping. And unlike apples where names come more readily, consumers can rarely name pear varieties that they like. A new partnership though between Vineland and the Vineland Growers’ Co-operative Ltd. aims to change that with a new made-in-Canada pear – the Cold Snap™ pear.
Unveiled to great fanfare at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto in November 2015, the pears are now available in selected Loblaws, Costco, Walmart, Sobeys and Metro stores, as well as some independent retailers.
The pear was developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) with Vineland acquiring the rights in 2009. In 2011, Vineland entered into a commercial license agreement with the Vineland Growers’ Co-operative for the exclusive Canadian rights to the fruit.
Since then, 75,000 pear trees have been planted in Ontario and Nova Scotia with a limited first harvest this year. Over the next five years, as trees come into production, the harvest is expected to double annually. June DenBak, Marketing Coordinator for the co-operative, said the business is already in the process of expanding its controlled storage facilities to be able to accommodate larger harvests to come.
Cold Snap™ has a lot going for it: its rounder shape and red blush skin are proving attractive to consumers. It also has a texture, Bowen described, that isn’t too “mushy or crunchy, isn’t as grainy as other pears, and is more consistent in its ripening”. Those are all characteristics important to consumers, explained Dr. Amy Bowen, Vineland’s Consumer Insights Research Program Leader.
The new variety is also proving popular with farmers because the trees are fire blight-tolerant. Fire blight is a contagious disease that can be devastating to an orchard.
A key benefit also comes from the fact that new pears have a longer storage life than others. Generally, local pears are only available in grocery stores until November, but because of the Cold Snap™’s storage life, the new variety will be available until February or March.
Source: http://www.aginnovationontario.ca/en/new-made-in-canada-pear-now-available-in-local-grocery-stores/
For more information:
Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
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