Predicting an “outstanding crop of pears this coming season,” Sage Fruit President Chuck Sinks said the Yakima, WA, company will be offering Bartletts, D’Anjous and Boscs as its main varieties.

Sinks expected the harvest to start with Starkrimsons in early August.

“The harvest has been pushed back a few weeks due to cooler weather this past spring, which will cause fruit to be picked at a more traditional time this season as opposed to last year’s crop.  Summer weather has been outstanding so far this year, with the heat being at a minimum, which should help produce a quality crop,” Sinks said

“The 2017 Northwest pear harvest will be very close to historical averages, with Starkrimson coming off first in early August, followed by Bartletts in mid- to late August. D’Anjou, Bosc and other varieties will follow in September through October,” Sinks said. He added, “It should be an orderly harvest throughout the season with no major issues.”

And he said Sage will see an increase in its overall crop in organics with the new growers’ volume.

“Sage is working hard to continue to grow the total organic fruit base in all varieties of apples, pears and cherries to offer the customer the complete line of products,” Sinks said. “Organics will be available in Green D’Anjous, Bartletts and Boscs.”

Over the past several seasons, the major varieties have remained the same: Green D’Anjou, Bartlett and Gold Russet Bosc. And, “The crop size has stayed fairly consistent over the past several seasons,” Sinks said.

The company will likely see a slight total crop increase in Green D’Anjou, “while the Bartlett and Bosc crops may show a slight decrease in total volume. Sizing by variety may be slightly smaller this season, but there is still some time for the fruit to size up before harvest.”

In addition to new growers this season, Sage Fruit has added a dedicated packing facility “exclusively for all varieties of pears, which will allow us to focus on quality and timely shipping for all of our retail customers,” Sinks said. “We also have an dedicated line for packing organic fruit as well.”

Sage and other grower-shipper-packers “are always looking for new ways to advance the harvest technology as labor shortages continue to be an ongoing issue, he explained.

In packaging, Sage Fruit has a wide variety of options, including multiple sizes of loose, euro boxes and the new two-pound pouch bag options in Bartlett, Green D’Anjou and Bosc pears. 

“We also currently have a unique pop-up display bin that can be used for apples or pears. This bin is perfect for showing loose or pouch bag pears at retail,” Sinks said.