Howard Nager, vice president of marketing for Domex Superfresh Growers, said the company responded quickly and aggressively following a recent fire in Wenatchee, WA.

Domex Superfresh Growers' new zippered two-pound pouch bags featuring 'Sesame Street' characters. (Photo courtesy of Domex Superfresh Growers)

“The fire’s impact was devastating to the Blue Bird Inc. facility in Wenatchee where Superfresh Grower pears are packed,” he told The Produce News. “Construction is already under way to rebuild the facility bigger and better than before. All of our packing will now be handled at their Peshastin warehouse location. It should be fairly seamless to our customers with both conventional and organic pears having been packed at this location in the past. This is where we will also pre-condition our pears for shipment to those customers looking to bring the benefits of taste and flavor to the consumer.”

Nager expects the company’s pear volume will mirror industry production. “Our organic program continues to be strong, representing over 25 percent of the industry’s available organic pears,” he said. “The season will kick off with our Bartlett harvest the first week of August and both Anjou and Bosc around the last week of August. These three varieties continue to drive the category and make up over 80 percent of retail dollar sales in the U.S.”

Domex Superfresh Growers will introduce a two-pound pear bag for its Superfresh Kids line.

“This new bag will be a zippered pouch with Sesame Street characters on the bag, promoting the eat brighter! campaign targeted at increasing consumption among younger children,” Nager stated. “There are also ripening instructions on the back of the bag to assist consumers in determining when best to eat their pears. The bags will be available for Bartletts, Anjou, Bosc and one for Red pears. We will also have this line of packaging available for the same organic varieties.”

Social media continue to provide customers and consumers with information on pears varieties, ripening guides, recipe ideas and promotions. “We will be running a pear promotion on our social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest using the hashtag #EATPEARS,” Nager said. “Consumers will get the chance to share their favorite recipes and usage ideas on any of these platforms and tag the photo with the #EATPEARS for a chance to win cash prizes.”