After almost disappearing from French orchards, the Abate pear is making a comeback in France, led by La Blottière. The company sees strong potential for the variety in the domestic market. "Looking from an agronomic point of view, the Abate pear is a particularly demanding variety. Growing it on a large scale is a real challenge, which our technical teams have overcome thanks to several years of experimentation and observation," says Justine Quéraux, marketing and communications manager at La Blottière. While small-scale production never fully vanished, it remained very limited. The company is now positioning itself as the first to offer a truly French cultivation of this iconic pear, with acreage increasing each year and more than three months of supply guaranteed.
© La Blottière
The decline of Abate in France can be traced back several decades. Two main factors contributed: the shift toward more productive and easier-to-grow varieties, and the overall reduction of French pear orchards between the 1970s and 2020. "It was ousted by the rise of more traditional varieties such as William and Conference," Quéraux explains, noting that the shrinking orchard area further reduced the possibility of maintaining this technically demanding variety.
In line with demand 
© La BlottièreToday's reintroduction is closely aligned with market demand. Abate is one of the most widely consumed pear varieties in France, but it is currently produced mainly in Italy. For La Blottière, restoring domestic cultivation is both a way to enrich France's varietal heritage and to broaden the product range offered to customers. "As pear specialists, we naturally wanted to leverage our expertise to offer a French origin for a variety that is now produced almost exclusively in Italy," Quéraux says, adding that promoting French origin to consumers is a key priority.
Numerous challenges
However, the variety's complexity makes cultivation challenging. The reintroduction required producers to rebuild technical knowledge almost from scratch. "The data available in France was virtually non-existent, and data from abroad was often contradictory or difficult to apply to our conditions." In addition, stricter phytosanitary and environmental regulations have required the development of new, adapted cultivation practices. Close cooperation with nursery growers was also necessary to reintroduce the variety and adapt it to modern orchard systems.
Season in full swing
Cultivation is now gaining momentum. The 2025–2026 season marks the first significant volumes, with a harvest forecast of over 300 tons. Orchards are located in the Loire Valley and the Southwest, and the oldest plots, now five years old, have reached full maturity. La Blottière aims to expand acreage gradually while maintaining controlled yields of around 35 t/ha to ensure visual and taste quality. Early results have been encouraging, with fruit quality reflecting the years of technical work invested in re-establishing the Abate pear in France.
For more information:
Le Verger de la Blottière
Saint-Georges-des-Gardes
49120 CHEMILLÉ-EN-ANJOU
Tel: +33 (0) 2 41 29 22 22
www.levergerdeblottiere.fr
