The rosy-cheeked pear FRED® from Varicom has gradually established itself since its successful brand launch in 2018. The Swiss club pear is now cultivated in all the traditional pear-growing regions of Western Europe - whether in France, Switzerland, Italy or Belgium - and the harvest volume continues to increase year by year. We spoke to Michael Weber, the Managing Director of VariCom Ltd and the driving force behind the successful brand concept, about this year's season and the development of production.
Again this year, the pear has significantly increased in cultivation, says Weber. "Compared to apple cultivation, it always takes two or three years longer for the new plantings to actually bear fruit. This is now noticeable in the marketing volume. Particularly in France, where the pear is grown in all three renowned growing regions on a total of 180 ha, significantly more marketing volume is available this year. It is also interesting that the quantity is almost completely needed for the domestic market." Marketing itself has also started well: compared to standard pears, higher prices can be achieved for the Fred pear, Weber further confirms.
© VariComIn addition to France, the pear has also been planted on a large scale in Belgium and Italy. In both countries, the fruit is now thriving on 40 hectares each. Pictured left: ripeness measurement on Lake Geneva with storage specialist César Da Silva-Perrin.
Marketing in the second half of the season
The club pear is primarily intended for marketing in the second half of the season and is expected to be traded until June in the future. "But that's still in the future: we started marketing in mid-November and will probably end the campaign in mid/late February. It should also be mentioned that the fruit sizes are somewhat smaller due to the weather than in previous years, but the Brix value is high and the taste is as it should be."
The club pear has also established itself on the home market in Switzerland and the cultivation quantity has been increased to a total of about 300 tons within a few years. Weber: "The pear is listed in the branches of the leading chains Migros and Coop as long as it is available. Further area and quantity increases are planned and are expected to start in 2025."
Tasting at Fruit Logistica
The innovative product concept will also be spotlighted at the Swiss joint stand at Fruit Logistica this year. "From the very beginning, it was particularly important to us not just to develop a new variety, but also to push the entire pear category forward. We have noticed that the pear is often treated stepmotherly compared to the apple and has lost importance especially among younger consumers. We want to change this by actively promoting the pear and also offering tastings of Fred pears from Swiss cultivation at the fair."
Visit the company at Fruit Logistica: Hall 20, B-40
For more information:
Michael S. Weber
VariCom GmbH
Mobile +49 (0) 170 89 11 22 9
Email [email protected]
www.varicom.ch
https://go-fred.com/
