Pears hot organic produce commodity

Numerous crop-limiting factors have impacted the California and Northwest organic pear crop this year, as it gets underway with prices inching toward an unofficial $50 per carton limit.

The 2024 California pear harvest began in mid-July from the River District, which encompasses the Sacramento Delta region. Most growers in Lake County, as well as Mendocino County, were expected to begin harvesting in early August.

Weather issues for California, Northwest crops

The California pear crop is expected to be down 16-18% depending upon variety, according to the California Pear Advisory Board. The main culprit appears to be weather issues during the bloom period.

The more voluminous Northwest pear crop has an even-more significant projected decline, both because it is following a huge year in 2023 and due to weather issues that have diminished the fruit set.

Matt Roberts, sales manager for Viva Tierra Organics in Mount Vernon, Washington, represents the fruit of organic pear growers in all three West Coast states: California, Oregon and Washington. Talking to OPN Connect on August 2, he noted that demand for organic pears, as well as conventional fruit, is very good and is expected to stay at an elevated level throughout the season due to the lack of supplies. He said that bloom issues were a problem, which limited the overall size of the California pear crop.

Reduced organic acreage despite demand

But Roberts also reported that there is less organic acreage than there was a year ago because some growers have not found organic production to be profitable. “We have definitely lost some organic acreage,” he said. “They are just not making the per acre return they need.”

This year, it does not appear that the FOB price per carton of organic fruit will be the problem, but lack of yield still might not produce a profit.

But the demand is certainly there.

“The phones are ringing off the hook,” said Roberts, noting that this demand-exceeds-supply situation bodes well for organic growers throughout California, as well as those in the Northwest that have decent volume.

Rollercoaster years for Northwest pears

Talking about the Pacific Northwest production, Roberts said Viva Tierra’s organic growers, which are toward the southern end of that pear-growing region, do not appear to be hit as hard as the growers up north near Wenatchee and Peshastin. “Our growers expect to be down about 10%,” he said.

Roberts commented that $50 has been the upper limit for organic pears but, this year, that threshold should be surpassed. “I’m reluctant to put a ‘5’ before any number (FOB price) I quote, but I have been doing that. I’m getting pushback (from customers) but they are paying it.”

Ben Johnson, the president of Bridges Organic Produce in Portland, Oregon, has been selling organic pears from the Hood River district for more than two decades. “We just came off the largest crop of my career (in the 2023-24 season), and this year we will see the smallest crop of my career,” he said, cautioning that he is only speaking of the Hood River Valley, which has an extremely light fruit set. “Both scenarios are devastating to growers. Last season they had too much fruit to market profitably and this year they are not going to have enough to sell.”

January saw a few days of sub-zero temperatures and this summer has produced days with temperatures in the triple digits. Add those factors to the reality that last year’s huge crops stressed the trees and you have a perfect storm for low volume, Johnson said.

Over the years, Johnson said apples have been able to break the price ceiling but organic pears have struggled to get above that $50 level. “This season, I think we are going to break through the ceiling,” he said. “There just aren’t enough organic pears to go around.”

Companies report varied pear crop timing, promotions

As far as timing is concerned, Johnson expects to be marketing Northwest organic pears by the end of the week of August 11. Because of the short crop, he expects the industry will run out of domestic organic pears in January or February, at which point organic pears from Argentina and other South American countries will enter the game. Time will tell whether there will be a gap.

Brianna Shales, marketing director for Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee, Washington, said their sales team is going to be bucking the reduced crop trend this year regarding organic pears. “Stemilt is a unicorn in the industry with our organic production up over last year,” she said. “This isn’t due to more acreage coming into production, but rather we’ve aligned with long-time pear leaders Peshastin Hi-Up to market their organic pears. We will have more organics across the board, but particularly Bartlett, Starkrimson, D’Anjou and Red Pears.”

Shales did say that they will have a very short organic Bosc crop, with fewer organic Concorde, as well. Stemilt’s pear growers are expected to begin picking in mid-August with fruit available to ship by mid-late August, starting with Bartlett and Starkrimson.

Because of the company’s increased volume, Shales said promotions are viable. “Organic pears can always use promotion and kicking off the season with organic Bartlett and Starkrimson pears is a great idea,” she said. “Our bagged program, 2lb. Organic Lil Snappers, is a great way to drive sales during the back-to-school season. As we head into the fall and more organic pear varieties are available, we like to see two varieties promoted at least once a month. Organic pears need regular attention to capture shoppers, whether they are switching from conventional for a period or impulse shopping.”