“So far this season’s demand is really good,” Apple and Pear Australia Ltd (APAL) CEO John Dollisson says.
“I was speaking to a retailer recently and they said Easter sales were up on last year, which is great because it’s usually a busy time anyway.”
He says exports are also growing, with results from last season showing 15% of the fresh pear crop went overseas.
“There’s real demand for Australian pears in Asia and Canada, in particular, so we are looking to increase these opportunities for growers in coming seasons.”
While severe hail in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley in November 2015 had a significant impact on volumes for the current season, Mr Dollisson says marketing around the issue is helping gather awareness and support for affected growers.
“The hail in Goulburn Valley probably knocked 15% of the pear crop out. So we’ve gone to all the retailers to ask if they would help support our Hailstorm Heroes campaign to sell the fruit that’s only been superficially affected, and that’s going really well.”
The campaign features two different pear characters – Guru Pear and Battler Pear – that tell the story of the hailstorms and encourage consumers to buy the fruit and help growers from the area deal with the damage.
Mr Dollisson says Hailstorm Heroes has become a key focus for their larger pear marketing campaign, done in collaboration with Horticulture Innovation Australia, while other promotions are focused on developing more awareness around the versatility of pears.
“We’ve been working with Horticulture Innovation Australia on a number of promos that look at things like when’s the best time to eat pears, the importance of healthy eating and the benefits of eating pears for fibre and gut health,” he says.
“We’re also encouraging the use of pears in different meals, including fruit salads, desserts, cheese platters and main meals.”
A dedicated website, www.rediscoverthepear.com.au, has become a hub for this information, including recipes, information on different pear varieties and health benefits associated with pears easily accessible for consumers.
Mr Dollisson says APAL also hopes to gain more consumer interest with the introduction of new varieties.
“We’ve got some fantastic new pears that have been developed through the Australian National Pear Breeding Program of the Victorian Government. There’s one variety that will be marketed under the name Lanya™, that’s got a yellow background with a vibrant red blush and I think it’s really going to excite the market,” he says.
“We’re also commercialising another pear that will be marketed under the name Deliza™ that has a green background with a darker red blush.”
He says APAL is also committed to building stronger relationships with the major retailers in Australia and finding ways to help reduce the cost of production for growers across all areas of the industry.
For more information:
John Dollisson
APAL
Tel: +613 9329 3511
Email: cm@apal.org.au
www.apal.org.au