WENATCHEE, WA - This year’s Washington Bartlett harvest is officially underway, with initial harvests revealing an increase in small-sized pears. 

“Our horticulturists told us to anticipate having more small Bartlett pears to sell and that’s the story,” said Steve Castleman, Senior Vice President of Sales for CMI. “This will require most retailers to rethink their Bartlett pear plans because for the first time in several years the promotable pears will be small bagging-sized fruit.”

Castleman explained that sizing in Anjous and Bosc may be normal, but the boost in small Bartlett pears creates new opportunities for retailers for the year. 

“Last year we had to turn retailers away who wanted to jump on our pouch bags because we didn’t have the supply of small fruit,” he said. “That’s completely changed this year with fewer large Bartlett pears and significant, promotable volume in our bagging sizes.”

This year, the increased supply of smaller Bartlett pears for bags will allow retailers to get creative, according to Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI. He says small fruit is perfect for premium pear packages and Nielsen data for the past 52 weeks shows that pear category growth is currently being driven by pear pouch bags.

Over the past year for the total U.S., Nielsen scan data shows that random weight pear volume declined by 9.4% while bagged pears increased by 18.2%, Lutz shared. “The growth is being driven by bag sizes of 3 lbs and smaller. Any retailer that hasn’t jumped on these packaged pears is missing sales.”

While the Nielsen data shows packaged pears driving category increases, the two-pound pouch bag is the key opportunity for rapid growth. Over the past year, sales of 2 lb pouch bags are up by 125%. According to a press release, consumer feedback is indicating that shoppers like the 2 lb pouch because it is small enough to encourage trial by light users.

“50% of U.S. households have two people or less,” said Lutz. “The average pear consumer is an infrequent buyer so they are cautious. With a lower price point consumers see CMI's 2 lb Sweet Gourmet™ Bartlett pear pouch as lower risk than buying a larger, more expensive bag enabling us to attract new consumers into the category.”

CMI also believes the success of pouch bags is related to the strong graphic presentation on the packages. Bagged pears were traditionally packed in low-cost poly bags conveying a low-quality message to consumers, Lutz shared but the new images of CMI’s pouch bags appeal strongly to consumers looking for both high-quality fruit and the convenience of not having to select individual pears.

CMI