Domex settles in for early pear harvest, increased volume
Howard Nager, vice president of marketing at Domex Superfresh Growers in Yakima, WA, said there will be increase in the company’s pear volume on the order of 20-30 percent during the 2013-14 season.
“We represent 10 percent of the volume of Northwest pears, shipping approximately two million boxes of pears,” Nager stated. Overall, he said quality looks good and all promotable sizes will be available.
“The crop looks to peak between 80s and 100s,” he told The Produce News. “Luckily, so far, weather has not been a factor on this year’s crop.”
Pepperl: Pear season coming on fast
Roger Pepperl, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers LLC in Wenatchee, WA, summed up the 2013-14 pear season. “It’s coming on fast,” he told The Produce News in late July. “We’ll start picking in mid-August. We might even be a little earlier than mid-August.”
Overall volume is expected to be up approximately 20 percent this season. “Bartletts will be up a little,” he stated. “Bosc will be up a lot. We have a good crop of Concordes. Anjous are going to be way up. It’s just a bigger crop.” In all, he expects Stemilt will market 2.2 million boxes of pears this season.
Good weather translates to clean pear crop for Oneonta
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.”
Gourmet pears will hit CMI’s sweet spot
Columbia Marketing International, headquartered in Wenatchee, WA, plans to introduce its new Sweet Gourmet Pears program this season. The company’s new high-graphic packaging will include gourmet photos of pear recipes and a QR code that links to CMI’s culinary center, where all the recipes for pears can be found. A new two-box shipper, comfortably housing two-pound pear pouch bags, will also be introduced. Sweet Gourmet Pears will also be sold in bulk with supporting POS materials and high-graphic packaging.
Promotion and options key to retail success, says CHR rep
This year, Rosemont Farms, which is a C.H. Robinson company, added club packs of Peruvian asparagus to its product line, as well as the offering of 12-ounce bags. This is in addition to the traditional one-pound bag.
Buck the trend, urges Carb/Americas exec
All the Peruvian importers are singing the same tune about decreased volume this year because of other options for growers. Some growers — just enough to affect volume — have pulled some asparagus acreage in the last couple of years causing supplies to drop and prices to increase.
“I keep preaching the Warren Buffet strategy,” said Jeff Friedman, president and sales manager of Carb/Americas Inc. in Pompano Beach, FL. “If everyone is going left, you should go right.”
Gourmet Trading Co. taking Peruvian asparagus down the yellow brick road
Gourmet Trading Co., a Los Angeles-based importer-exporter of Peruvian asparagus and other specialty items, is using an innovative marketing approach to sell asparagus this year, including a unique tie-in with the re-release of the very-popular movie, The Wizard of Oz.
Tambo Sur is expanding beyond its asparagus roots
Tambo Sur LLC in Pompano Beach, FL, opened its doors seven years ago as a Peruvian asparagus grower-importer. It has expanded beyond that one commodity, though asparagus is still one of its top items.
It has asparagus year-round from Peru, asparagus from Mexico and organic asparagus from Argentina. “Now we do other items but what ties them together is that they all come mostly from Peru,” said Fabian Zarate, president.
Foodservice industry realizing mushrooms on the menu is the way to go
Foodservice outlets of all types and levels have shared in the success by providing customers with mushroom meatless and blended entrees since the Mushroom Council started its Swapability and Swap It and Top It campaigns last year.
And industry professionals -- growers, marketers and others -- are all helping to promote the idea to their foodservice customers of swapping out less healthy, more expensive forms of protein for mushrooms.
Keystone Fruit, Progressive Produce continue asparagus partnership
East meets West once again for a collaborative approach to the representation of Peruvian asparagus, among other things.