WENATCHEE, Wash. – Perfect, pristine, palatable. In other words: Stemilt’s Rushing Rivers® pears. The upcoming 2018 Rushing Rivers® pear crop is the season retailers will want to dive head first into to help build their pear category. Stemilt Growers, the long-time pear leader, encourages retailers to get the first Rushing Rivers® pear promotions of the new crop set in place now.
“Harvest is trending a week ahead of last year, with increased crop volumes over last season and the ideal bulk size range coming retailers’ way,” said Brianna Shales, communications manager at Stemilt. “We’ll start the season in mid-August and recommend bulk and bags for the first promotions aligned with back-to-school timing.”
Retailers can start loading two summer pears, Tosca and Bartlett, the week of August 20, and add Starkrimson the following week. The majority of Stemilt’s Tosca pears are certified organic and available under the Artisan Organics™ brand. Tosca is an early variety with a short season and will be sized well for Stemilt’s kid-size pear program, Lil Snappers®.
“Retailers should plan pear promotions on multiple varieties at least once a month starting in late August and running throughout the season,” said Shales. “The emphasis will be on bulk fruit, but Lil Snappers® 3lb. bags will remain a great option for building purchase size and young fans of this heritage fruit.”
The Northwest pear crop is looking promising this year, with about 20 million boxes expected to be packed and shipped. Stemilt, an industry leader in both conventional and organic varieties expects to contribute an upwards of 12 percent of that.
“It’s been an ideal growing season for pears, with a long spring and great summer weather for growing sizeable pears,” states Shales. “Stemilt has been a leader in the pear category for years, and looks forward to another season of top quality, flavorful pears to delight consumers.”
Stemilt’s focus on flavor comes with support from their Operation Flavor program. Operation Flavor is a 360-degree commitment from Stemilt to elevate the consumer eating experience for pears from field to box. Summer pears like Bartlett and Starkrimson benefit from high cooling capacity via jet coolers to bring field heat out of fruit and ensure high qualities.
“Cooling is essential to the quality of pears harvested in August, and our cooling process is designed to back the high flavor, ready-to-eat pear process,” says Shales. “Our teams use a Stemilt-specific sequence that is designed for the best airflow and cooling patterns, giving our pears the exact things they need to ensure a ready-to-eat experience right out of the box.”
Stemilt has also built two Thermal Tech Tarpless® ripening rooms in the Fresh Cube to ripen Anjou and Red d’Anjou pears.
To support pear category promotions, retailers can look to Stemilt’s easy to set up display bins and branded packaging that highlights the pear’s origin. Retailers can also rely on the grower story that will help with brand transparency and give consumers a product they can trust.
“Trust goes a long way in the pear category,” states Shales. “We have seen a decrease in the pear category over the last decade and Stemilt is working hard to reverse that trend through programs like Operation Flavor and our Rushing Rivers® pear brand.”
Stemilt partners with Peshastin Hi-Up Growers to produce Rushing Rivers® pears, which grow in the two best pear locales in the world – the Wenatchee River Valley and the Entiat River Valley – by multi-generational pear farmers who come with a world of knowledge and expertise. These growing districts are located right next to packing, ripening and shipping facilities, which supports Stemilt’s mission of flavor-first focus.
“The time is now for retailers to shift their focus onto summer pear varieties,” states Shales. “A strong early season promotion sets retailers up for a strong season which will result in elevated sales dollars, high volumes sold and some very happy customers.”
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About Stemilt
Stemilt Growers is a leading tree fruit growing, packing and shipping company based in Wenatchee, Washington. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is the leading shipper of sweet cherries and one of the nation’s largest suppliers of organic tree fruits. Stemilt has also demonstrated a commitment to sustainable agriculture and social responsibility since 1989, when founder Tom Mathison launched the company’s Responsible Choice program. For more information about Stemilt, visit www.stemilt.com and follow Stemilt on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and You Tube.
Source: Stemilt Growers
