WENATCHEE, WA - August is over, and that means we are one step closer to fall. As consumers rush the aisles in search of the perfect produce to use in their autumn recipes, pears will surely be top of their list as they excellently complement the notes of vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and other warm flavors that are synonymous with fall baking. Stemilt will have plenty of pears just in time for this demand to keep retailers stocked and ready.
“We are into harvest on the new crop of 2022–23 pears with Bartlett and Starkrimson starting us off,” explains Brianna Shales, Marketing Director. “We’ve started to pack these and are working on getting promotions off the ground at retail. Stemilt pears call the best pear locales in the world home, including the Wenatchee River Valley and Entiat River Valleys. These parallel regions are about 20 miles from one another, and both benefit from great airflow off mountains and rivers to help ensure clean, high-quality pears.”
Growing both conventional and organic pears, other key varieties that Stemilt will offer this season include Red D’Anjou, Bosc, and Green D’Anjou. Additionally, the grower will have some specialty offerings and a light introduction of Happi Pear®, a new branded variety for the category, later this fall.
So far, the quality has been excellent, and the weather in its growing regions has been cooperative. Stemilt has seen slightly smaller sizes than last year, but as Brianna explains, pears tend to size up before harvest, so this could change later in the season. However, despite sizing, volumes have risen this season.
“Pear volumes in the Northwest are up slightly over last year, creating supplies comparable to the 2021–22 crop,” Brianna says. “The main changes we are seeing are an increase in Bartlett pears and less Bosc and specialty varieties.”
With this increased volume of smaller sized pears, Stemilt plans more bag promotions for retail, offering shoppers a convenient option to stock up on fruit and an easy way for its grocery partners to merchandise.
“Think bags this season!” Brianna tells me. “We have the leading Lil Snappers® program for kid-size pears that have been so successful at retail because of how it markets intent to shoppers. It boosts the average purchase size of pears, and this year looks like it will be an opportunistic one for bagged pear promos.”
With Stemilt working its merchandising magic on the category, it's im-pear-ative that you add these juicy varieties to your shelves in time to capitalize on fall demand.
