Sweet Sensation is a mutation of Doyenné du Comice, and has been available since 2010. The cultivation licences of the red-blushed pear are owned by variety owner Licenced Varieties Editors BV (LVE). The club variety is marketed exclusively by The Greenery in the Netherlands. “Conference is still a popular pear, but there’s definitely room for a new, preferably coloured, variety. In Southern Europe, for example, the Abate Fettel is a beloved pear, but a distinctive variety is also wished for there. The Sweet Sensation very much suits the global need for a coloured, premium pear. The club variety is distinctive because of the beautiful red blush and its sweet flavour,” according to Gerard van Loon, product manager top fruit for The Greenery. “Another characteristic of the pear is that it doesn’t drip, which also makes it suitable to be processed into salads or pastries. Sweet Sensation has already proven itself, but the club variety is still fully in development.”
In recent years, the pear experienced an enormous increase both domestically and internationally. LVE therefore entered into Territory Licence Agreements with sales parties. In the Netherlands, this is The Greenery, and in Belgium sales are in the hands of the BFV (Belgische Fruit Veiling). The Dutch area currently consists of 210 hectares. Belgium has 100 hectares of Sweet Sensation. The pear is also grown in France, Germany, the UK and Italy. Besides, tests are currently being conducted in Spain, Slovenia and Turkey. In the Southern Hemisphere, Sweet Sensation is grown in Chile, Argentina, South Africa, South Korea and Australia. Tests should prove whether the club variety can also be grown in New Zealand in future. “We continue to look for new production countries. Ukraine, for example, might be suitable. Sweet Sensation is mostly successful in countries where pears, and Doyenné du Comice in particular, are already grown.” Gerard admits it’s not an easy pear to grow. “We mostly focus on growers who pay extra attention to their products. When Sweet Sensation is grown in the right way, they can earn growers a tidy profit. We have a clear group of growers within our club, but also abroad, who really have an eye for it.”
Available for nine months
It is intended that during a period of nine months enough Sweet Sensation is available to meet demand. “The red-blushed pear doesn’t have a shelf life as long as Conference,” Gerard explains. “To extend the season, production in the Southern Hemisphere is necessary. We expect to need a third of what is grown in Europe from the Southern Hemisphere to have enough pears available until mid-June. In the period after that, much summer fruit will be on the market, with which we don’t want to compete.” There are definitely still options for a continued growth, according to him. In the Netherlands, cultivation will increase to a maximum of 300 hectares. “Production is also gradually growing in Belgium and France. Expansion options are largest in Italy, both regarding production and market potential.”
The pears are primarily sold through European retail chains. By way of trial, pears were shipped to China last year, but volumes of Sweet Sensation are currently still completely absorbed by the European market, according to Gerard. Sweet Sensation pears have to meet stringent requirements in the field of quality, brix and appearance. Pears who don’t meet these quality requirements are supplied under the Sweet Doret name. This season, it’s expected there will be slightly more Sweet Doret pears. “The consequences of much rain and wind are visible especially in the north of the Netherlands,” Gerard says late September. “The flavour of the pears is excellent, for that matter. Belgium was affected by bad weather even more, but harvests in France and Italy are good. All in all, we expect smaller volumes but good quality.”
More information:
The Greenery
Gerard van Loon
