China optimistic for Dutch Conference pear

 

“I think the Dutch pear will become more popular with the Chinese,” said Tony Liu of Dalice Qingdao Trading. “Maybe people will not want to eat it at first because it looks ugly, but they will like it once they taste it.”

 

The challenge Tony sees in marketing the pear in China is that consumers just don't know anything about it including how to eat it. Because it's usually very firm at the time of purchase, consumers need to let the fruit ripen for few days before it's ideal. If consumers, put off by the appearance of the pear or by their lack of knowledge about the fruit, don't venture out to try it, it might not catch on. But Tony is hopeful the fruit will catch on with Chinese consumers.

“The Chinese pear has no taste, and it contains too much water,” said Tony. “But the Dutch pear has less water, is sweeter and can be eaten on its own instead of only in meals.” The price of the pear will reflect the premium quality, with Tony estimating that it will be two to three times more expensive than Chinese pears.

 

Shipments of the pear began this week, leaving Rotterdam destined for Shanghai, Shandong and Guangdong, with the latter province expected to offer the most demand. The containers will arrive in China in about a month, and importers there will likely hold on to most of the fruit in storage and sell it incrementally in supermarkets. Once they get a handle on how well it performs, they might ask for an increase in containers.

 

“We'll export until April, and we'll have more volume and promotions for the Chinese New Year,” said Tony. “It's just the beginning, so if the market improves, then we'll ship more volumes.”

 

For more information:

 

Tony Liu
Dalice Qingdao Trading Co.,Ltd
T: +86 532 85971916/85971917
F: +86 532 85971918
M:+86 13705328003
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:www.dalice.cn

Author: Yzza Ibrahim / Carlos Nunez