"Within six years, we want to have expanded the current 230 hectares of Sweet Sensation pears to 400 hectares," says Rob van der Weele. He is the Sweet Sensation product manager at The Greenery Growers in the Netherlands. So, he has to oversee this product's acreage expansion. Rob says this goal fits the space in the market and they want to realize that growth with existing and new growers.
The Greenery does centralized sales of the red-blushed Sweet Sensation pears. Rob points out that you do not have to be a member of the cooperative to grow this club variety. The current season's harvesting was scheduled for the second half of September and should last for around three weeks.
The Greenery uses firmness and Brix (sugar content) readings to give the go-ahead for three-phased harvesting. It will begin in the south of the country, then move through the middle and up north. When it comes to harvesting spread, Sweet Sensation is an excellent addition to existing varieties like Conference, says Rob.
Red pears
This acreage expansion comes on the heels of a growing interest in red pears. "People want something new. There are two popular pear varieties - Conference and Doyenné du Comice. Some newcomers are piquing the demand for red varieties. So, there's more interest in Sweet Sensation too. Consumer tests show that flavor-wise, this pear is the best, by far, compared to all the other red varieties," explains Van der Weele.
This concept variety's marketing focuses mainly on achieving stable prices. "Top fruit prices depend on yields and can fluctuate wildly. We've been able to get stable grower and customer prices for Sweet Sensation pears for several years now. That's great. Growers, as well as clients, know they can count on this."
Stability
More top fruit concept varieties are entering the market. And these are contributing to an improved earning model for the entire chain. "That starts with the fruit grower. By working together around a concept variety, you can achieve more." Rob adds that the top fruit sector is very fragmented. "That does no one any good. We should be working much more together. We must gain a better market position which can provide stability to the overall sector. On the retail side, the hurdles just keep growing. Close chain cooperation is needed there," he continues.
"You can only respond to that if everyone on the production side works together." Top fruit prices were reasonably good last year. "There are considerably fewer pears this year, so there's more movement in the market. Very low prices aren't good; neither are very high ones. If pears get too expensive, you price yourself out of the market." That said, he expects grower prices to surely rise. That is because of things like rising labor costs and higher cultivation risks. "Sweet Sensation aims to maintain stable prices, but that will increase as costs in the chain do."
Value
Rob indicates that a broad client base is the most important contributing factor in achieving stable prices for Sweet Sensation. "We do business with Dutch retailers, as well as those in Germany, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Italy. We also work with the variety's French licensee." The Greenery Growers strategic plan for the variety includes adding new customers every year so that sales are further spread. "That's precisely why we're now looking for fruit growers who'd like to plant this variety too," he says.
What happens to those pears that do not meet the Sweet Sensation criteria? Seventy percent of the crop meets those quality standards, says Rob. Much of the rest is sold under the name Sweet Dored. "With club varieties, anything that doesn't meet the standards often brings down the growers' average prices. This concept is truly different. It's important that we get the best possible value out of the entire production."
"We achieve that very well by marketing the Sweet Dored label to our regular buyers. That's aside from the Sweet Sensation brand. A small number of industrial pears remain. We try to process these into another product, such as juice or cider. In a nutshell - we find the best chain for all sizes and qualities. That means we can ensure a good, stable middle price for our growers. And we can build a broad customer base," the product manager concludes.
Rob van der Weele
The Greenery Growers
+31 (0)622 482 293
r.vanderweele@thegreenery.com
www.thegreenery.com