YAKIMA, WA - Looking to dive deeper into the different aspects of the current pear market? Look no further! Fresh off the debut of its new Mardi Gras™ Pear, I recently had a chance to talk pears with Cat Gipe-Stewart, Director of Marketing for Superfresh Growers®, who shared that the Northwest pear industry has a healthy supply remaining for the 2022–2023 crop.

“There are plenty of promotional opportunities, especially for Anjou, Bosc, and red pears,” Cat tells me. “Bartlett movement has also been strong, and we are projecting finishing shipments in mid-Winter. The Bartlett crop has had steady movement with good supply, which allowed for a healthy transition to a focus on Anjou pears in the new year, which will again carry us through the summer months. As the largest grower of organic pears in the industry, we will have supply of organic Anjou pears into mid-Spring pending demand. All in all, despite this year’s challenges, we are excited for the challenge and opportunity to drive sales and consumption of pears with our retail partners and pave the way for increased supply in future seasons.”

As Cat shares with me, the industry currently has a plentiful supply of green and red Anjou pears, with only 23 percent and 19 percent of the crop shipped so far, respectively. Plenty of promotional opportunities are in store for retailers, as Superfresh plans to have supply through the summer, touching new crop Bartlett pears. In terms of pricing, Nielsen data for the last four weeks through December 30, 2022, shows that pears are averaging $2.09 per lb, up $0.22 year-over-year.

To maximize sales for the category, grocers can harness each of Superfresh’s alluring pear varieties to their benefit.

“Promoting multiple varieties of pears helps increase sales and can entice heavy pear buyers to try new varieties. We suggest promoting green, brown, and red pears at the same time,” says Cat. “Numerator data shows Red Anjous are the fourth most preferred pear, which is ideal for merchandising with Bosc and Green Anjou. Numerator data also shows that 21 percent of Red Anjou shoppers seek out this variety for a specific dish or recipe, so retailers can drive sales with recipes like our newest Red Pear Arugula Salad.”

The grower is even refreshing the category with its newest variety, the Mardi Gras Pear, which will be released in February 2023.

“The Mardi Gras pear will stand out on the shelf with an elongated bottle shape, and natural russet over a green background. At peak ripeness, it is very sweet, buttery, and juicy,” Cat notes. “Superfresh Growers will have limited supply in this first year of release, starting sales in February and likely selling into April. The initial 2023 launch will be in 2 lb pouch bags to incite trial and showcase Mardi Gras pears as a premium item.”

With a fresh new variety and a strong supply of consumer-favorite pear offerings, Superfresh Growers is just the partner you need to truly tap into the potential of pears.

Keep clicking on ANUK for more market updates and merchandising insights.

Superfresh Growers®