The pear season has commenced in the Pacific Northwest, with some of the early season pears heading for the pack house. A warm summer has meant that picking began a little earlier than usual. Additionally, the growing season looks set to be more condensed thanks to the hot weather. Fruit sizes are set to be smaller, but volume is looking strong.
"We have started picking our summer pears, including Red Starkrimson and Green Bartlett," said Ed Weathers of Duckwall Fruit. "The season began about a week earlier than the traditional start date largely due to the warm spring and summer. The fruit is maturing faster than usual resulting in a condensed growing season. Sizing has suffered a little and the crop is about a half a size down on the average. Volume is slightly higher than first estimates were suggesting and overall quality is looking very good."
The winter pears are due to start at the end of the month beginning with Anjou, followed closely by Bosc. "We anticipate that the winter pear season will start on August 28 or 29 on Anjou pears," Weathers announced. "The Anjou crop is down a bit from last year but sizing is larger. The Bosc crop, which will begin in the first week of September, is predicted to be large. All pears are showing excellent quality this year and we will have promotable volume throughout the season."
Too early to judge market
As Northwest pear growers are only just getting fruit into the sheds, the market is still settling. One important factor, especially for the early pears, will be the influence from a late California season. "We are still getting a feel for how the market will be this year," Weathers shared. "California started later this year and this will be worrisome for the front end because of the narrower gap between the California and Northwest seasons."
Weathers further noted that the effect from Chinese tariffs looks set to be minimal for pear growers. "We do expect to have some effect from the tariffs this year," he explained. "However, China is not a major market for US pears and therefore we predict that any impact will not have much effect on the industry."
Emphasis will be on winter pear conditioning
Consumer packaging looks set to resemble much of what has been seen in stores in recent years, with a continued focus on pouch bags. One aspect that producers will be placing more attention on this year is the conditioning of the winter pears. Consumer trends indicate that people prefer to purchase ready-to-eat pears rather than waiting for them to ripen.
"The conditioning of winter pears, particularly Anjou, will be the focus this year," Weathers said. "The aim is to have more pears ready-to-eat as they arrive in the store. Reducing the ripening cycle time will provide a better eating experience for the customer. This, in turn, will translate into an increase in repeat purchases at retail."
For more information:
Ed Weathers
Duckwall Fruit
Tel: +1 (541) 354-1651