Good weather in the Pacific Northwest will translate to a clean pear crop for Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers during the 2013-14 season. “Weather has been cooperating for the most part,” Dan Wohlford, national marketing representative, told The Produce News. “Spring conditions were good, and the summer months have been good as well.”

While there were some reports about scattered hail storms, Wohlford said, “It shouldn’t adversely affect the overall crop. The pear crop is looking very nice this year.”

Based in Wenatchee, WA, the company is one of Washington’s premier tree fruit growers.

The harvest will start with Bartletts and Red Starkrimson in the middle of August, followed by Red Sensation at the end of the month. “Then Anjou, Comice, Bosc and Seckels start in early September. We expect quality to be good this year. The fruit is clean. There is not a lot of scaring.”

Wohlford said volume for Bartletts, Red Bartletts and Starkrimson will be down slightly this season. “Anjou, Bosc and Comice will be up slightly in volume,” he added.

Fruit is marketed under the company’s flagship label, “Starr Ranch Growers.” Oneonta works closely with its retail partners in the United States and Canada to build category sales. The company offers preconditioned pears for customers who want fruit at a greater stage of ripeness.

Oneonta plans to offer Seckel pears in a stand-up gusseted bag this season on a limited basis. “A few customers have inquired, and we are trying them this year in a small way to gauge how well the bags handle the fruit, consumer acceptance, etc.,” Wohlford stated.

The company’s Pear SnaQ marketing program has been highly successful and will be continued this season.

“The idea is to promote snacking on pears,” Wohlford explained. With today’s active lifestyles, people are snacking more than ever, and they want healthy snacks. Pears are a great take-along snack. Kids love the sweet taste, and parents can feel confident that they are getting a healthy snack to keep them fueled up in whatever activity they are doing.”

Oneonta also provides its retail partners with bins for its “U-Pick the Flavors” campaign for pears and apples. The campaign reminds consumers of the days gone by when people went into fields and orchards to pick their own fruit. The campaign is designed to deliver fruit to consumers with delicious flavors that are reminiscent of being just picked.

This past June, Wohlford said the company celebrated the 100th anniversary of its pear facility, Diamond Starr Growers in Hood River, OR.