WENATCHEE, Wash. – Stemilt’s premium river valley pear program helped the industry realize huge category increases through the first four months of the season according to the company’s recent analysis of retail scan data from Nielsen Perishables Group. D’Anjou pears were up 24% in volume and nearly 26% in dollar sales year over year according to national composite data from September through December 2013. Other key pear varieties including Red d’Anjou, Bartlett, and Bosc also realized increases in both categories.
“Though no two crop years are ever the same – and the 2013-14 crop is up in volume and fruit size is larger than the prior crop – the fact that dollar sales have increased for d’Anjou and other key varieties along with volume increases shows that consumer demand for pears is very strong,” said Roger Pepperl, Stemilt marketing director.
There are a number of factors that led to the pear category increases, Pepperl said. Harvest in the Northwest was slightly earlier than normal which allowed retailers to get a jump on the pear season. The total pear crop is up over last year due to this being an “on” year for pears, and fruit size is running a size larger this year.
“About 10% of the volume increase for d’Anjou pears can be attributed to fruit size. Customers might be picking up the same number of pears, but are bringing home more weight when they buy bulk simply because fruit size is larger at retail,” said Pepperl.
Aside from crop realities, Pepperl believes that increased attention on ripening programs for d’Anjou, value bag offerings, and putting multiple varieties on ad each month is elevating the pear category.
“Here at Stemilt, our pear program has really benefitted over the past several years from capital investments, new products, and a focus on getting multiple pears on ad every month during the fall and winter season. The increased shelf space for pears during a multi-pear ad often results in 15-20% increases in volume when compared to one item pear ads,” said Pepperl.
Stemilt pears come primarily from two renowned locales – the Wenatchee River Valley and the Entiat River Valley. Surrounded by alpine mountains, these two regions benefit from cooler temperatures during the growing season and high-quality air drainage which consistently produces premium quality pears. The two locales are both located in close proximity to four modern packing lines operated by Stemilt or its pear partner, Peshastin Hi-Up. Additionally, Stemilt’s Miller Street facility in Wenatchee features two, Thermal Tech ripening rooms to round out the company’s recognizable RipeRite pear ripening program.
“Our increased investment in packing lines and pear ripening has resulted in a better consumer eating experience. We already benefit from tremendous pear quality thanks to the location of our pear orchards, and so we focus on tight inventory turns and delivering ready-to-eat pear pressures to retail on normally hard-to-ripen varieties like d’Anjou and Red d’Anjou,” said Pepperl.
Stemilt has also increased the volume of bag offerings to provide added value to the pear category. The company includes four varieties of pears in its trademarked Lil Snappers line of kid-sized fruits, and also provides retailers with high-graphic half tri-wall bins which are perfect for promoting family-sized bags of pears.
“Our pear half tri-wall bins are a great in-and-out merchandising tool to move 5-pound bags of pears,” said Pepperl. “It adds one more item to the mix to elevate the category and really appeals to value shoppers.”
Pepperl expects the pear category increases to level down a bit through the spring months as seasonal items – like cherries – start to take some shelf space in produce departments. Overall, the Nielsen data from the primary pear promotion months tells him that consumers are responding to the premium quality of pears especially when strong merchandising programs are behind them.
“It’s always our goal at Stemilt to continuously improve pear quality in order to provide consumers with an unforgettable eating experience. It’s great to see our efforts pay off in the form of strong category growth nationally,” said Pepperl.
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 the largest supplier of organic tree fruits in the nation. 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, and You Tube.
Source: Stemilt
