WENATCHEE, WA – Fall harvest is well underway for Stemilt Growers and its Rushing Rivers® pears. The company is experiencing another great pear season with winter pears currently coming off the trees in high grades and dessert-quality flavors.
Stemilt’s senior marketing manager Brianna Shales is excited about another Rushing Rivers® pear season and the opportunities that this crop provides to retailers.
“Pear harvest is progressing nicely and we will be wrapping up in the next 7-10 days,” says Shales. “Right now, winter varieties like d’Anjou, Red d’Anjou and Bosc are coming off the trees in good availability with a lot of opportunity for retailers to move high volumes due to the great quality.”
Stemilt’s green and red d’Anjou pears go through Stemilt’s Operation Flavor program. Operation Flavor is a 360-degree commitment to setting a new standard for the flavor of pears. Both d’Anjou and red d’Anjou will move through a 30-day cold treatment phase and are packed into a two layer cross-ventilated box. The boxes move through a warming process to get them back up to shipping temperatures in Stemilt’s RipeRite™ TarpLess® ripening rooms. Once they make it through the warming process, pears are ready to be shipped.
“Stemilt no longer uses anti-ripening products on pears,” states Shales. “In response to that move, we are finding other ways to ensure pears are of dessert-eating quality with a goal of ready-to-eat d’Anjou and red d’Anjou pears just 1-3 days after consumer purchase. One of those ways is using a vented euro box that is designed specifically for uniform ripening.”
Retailers can expect beautifully ripened green and red d’Anjou pears from Stemilt as well as nice availability of sizes, including opportunities for bags. Shales comments that both pear varieties have beautiful coloring that will be very eye catching in store when set up in a high traffic area in a Rushing Rivers® branded Stemilt box. Red d’Anjou pears have a slightly higher brix (sugar) content than their green counterpart, but both will be of dessert-eating quality.
Bosc pears are another variety ready for promotion this season. The bronze-colored pear is sizing very well this year, with larger sizes than past crops and high sugars. While Bosc does not partake in the ripening process like d’Anjou pears do, it is packed in the same two-layer ventilated euro that will allow for even natural ripening.
To make the most of the pear season, Shales suggests running ads with line pricing for all three varieties, while boosting in-store messaging around and on the display.
“Stemilt is committed to ensuring the retailer’s pear season is a success and we have the fruit, packaging and resources they need to make it happen,” says Shales. “We have plenty of signage options along with various packages, including our new Family Farm Bin that features Stemilt’s founding family, the Mathison’s.”
The Family Farm bin is high graphic bin that can easily be paired with other package options, including Stemilt’s pear display bin or easy pallet display. Retailers can also rely on Stemilt’s toolkits that feature video, images, story ideas and more to make their in-store messaging a success or create more hype on the store’s digital channels.
“Building big eye-catching displays with lots of in-store messaging will first get the customer to check out the fruit,” says Shales. “What gets them coming back for more is that dessert-eating quality, and that’s what we aim for every day with our Rushing Rivers® pears.”
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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.
