WENATCHEE, WA - CMI’s new Sweet Gourmet Pears™ pouch bags are launching nationwide after a retail test conducted late last year proved positive among consumers and sales numbers.

The test, conducted in part with a large eastern retailer, documented consumer demand for the item as well as whether the new pouch bag lineup would cannibalize sales from existing bulk pears. Katharine Grove, Marketing Specialist for CMI, says the results were astonishing.

“Not only were existing bulk sales not affected, the Sweet Gourmet Pears™ test drove almost $900,000 in incremental dollars,” said Grove.

The success of the Sweet Gourmet Pears™ program was a result of the educational and usage information included on the new bag. “Immediately after introduction in the test retailer, the Sweet Gourmet Pears™ pouch bag became the #2 selling item in the pear category,” continued Grove. “Our retail partner not only continued with the program but expanded it to include other pear varieties.”

Retail data shows that only 10% of pear sales occur in bags compared to nearly 50% in the apple category. Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI, says, “With the use of premium packaging trending upward in the produce department, our team was confident that the same consumer buying apples and other fruits in these bags would be equally interested in pears. That’s exactly what we experienced when we tested the bags last winter.”

To see where Sweet Gourmet Pears™ are grown, check out the video below:

This season, CMI is launching the Sweet Gourmet Pears™ three pound pouch bag, in Bartlett and D’Anjou varieties, in select stores across the U.S. These new pouch bags have been designed to complement the existing Sweet Gourmet Pears™ program that is currently available in two-pound packages of Bartlett, D’Anjou, Red, and Bosc pear varieties.

CMI