Domex pear crop ‘looks terrific’
Domex pear crop ‘looks terrific’
Domex Superfresh Growers anticipates a good pear season with quality product and strong marketing opportunities. “Our pear crop looks terrific,” Marketing and Communications Manager Loren Queen told The Produce News July 27. “We are excited about the opportunities this crop will bring. From a sizing standpoint, it’s in line with the historic average. But with regard to grading, it’s much better than last year. We expect to see a larger percentage of the crop being a U.S. No. 1 grade. In fact, we probably won’t pack much, if any, third grade this year.”
Mr. Queen said Bartlett production will begin around Aug. 18 followed by Anjous at the beginning of September. “We generally wrap up the pear harvest by mid-October,” he stated. “Compared to last year, Anjous will be down slightly, and Bosc will be down a bit. Our Bartlett crop looks to be the same volume as last year but with larger sizing. We really are looking at a vintage year for pears.”
In addition to domestic marketing, Domex exports pears to Mexico and Canada. “As the world’s economy continues to change rapidly, we are seeing more business in ‘developing’ economies like Central America and Asia,” Mr. Queen said. “We are also see quite a potential in the Middle East and Russia.”
Domex plans to continue marketing pears for children in its two-pound Superfresh Kids pear bags this season. “This has proven to be a great way to move volume and meet price points while helping parents introduce their kids to pears,” Mr. Queen commented.
