Bridges Organic Produce’s import organic pear season has begun, with Early Bartlett pears available starting last week.

Green Bartlett pears will become available in mid-March, followed by Red Bartletts, Autumn Bartletts, Anjous, and Red Anjous in April. In May, Bridges will begin shipping the Bosc variety, though quantities are limited.

Maureen Royal, Sales & Import Apple/Pear Manager, Bridges Organic Produce

“Reports indicate good quality fruit this year, though volumes are down slightly in some varieties,” said Maureen Royal, sales & import apple/pear manager for Bridges Organic Produce. “This is primarily due to the growing season having been unseasonably cold for most of the season, followed by a few weeks of extreme heat right before the harvest.”

Royal said Green, Red, and Autumn Bartletts are the varieties with the volume declines.

“Expectations are that there will be fewer large-size (70–90s) Barletts and Autumn Bartletts, with an average size of 100–110 being the peak size. So there will be more volume of smaller sizes than usual,” she said. “This has allowed us to look at increased alternatives for these smaller-size varieties, such as a wide variety of packaging options, including 2- and 5-pound pouch bags and 3-pound cello bags in the Bridges label as well as opportunities for private label partnerships.”

Royal said that while organic pear supplies are expected to be somewhat tight at the outset of the season, there should be opportunities for promotion starting in late April/early May. “Once we begin to have more varieties and sizes available, it allows for more flexibility regarding planning promotions,” she said.

Bridges Organic Produce has had an import pear program for about 15 years, sourcing from suppliers in the Rio Negro Valley in the Patagonia region of Argentina.

“The centerpiece of the valley is the Rio Negro River, which is fed by snow melt from the Andes,” Royal said. “Irrigation channels along the river form a belt that cuts through the otherwise arid region. Plentiful water, fertile land, and warm days followed by cold nights lengthen the growing season and create a prime environment for tree fruit to flourish and develop deep flavors and lovely color.”

All of Bridges’ imported pears arrive by boat, with the majority shipping to East Coast ports, though the company does ship some volume to the Los Angeles area as well. “We will be loading from a new East Coast partner this season, Bifulco Cold Storage in Pittsgrove, New Jersey, while continuing to load with our West Coast partner, Heath & Lejeune in Commerce, California,” Royal said.

Bridges’ customer base for its organic import pears includes large retail chains, independent stores, health food markets, direct-to-consumer home delivery services, and wholesalers.

“Demand for our pear program has been strong over the past several years,” Royal said. “We are anticipating a strong demand this year in particular since the Washington season on organic Bartlett pears finished up sooner than usual, and customers are anxious to start the new import pear season to have Bartletts for sales.”

“Reports indicate good quality fruit this year, though volumes are down slightly in some varieties." - Maureen Royal

In terms of merchandising recommendations, Royal encourages retailers to display organic pears in a high-visibility area while the fruit is “firm, with good pressures. Retailers can make beautiful displays with them, so consumers can see and smell the aroma of a good pear,” she said.

As far as challenges for the program, Royal again cited the short supply of large sizes this season and the resultant abundance of smaller-sized fruit. “In terms of domestic competition, we don't expect that to be much of a headwind this year as domestic organic pear supplies will be mostly cleared out by April," she said.

“The early part of the program overlaps with the SOE implementation date of March 19,” Royal noted. “We are working closely with our growers to ensure all is in place for the new import certificate requirement, but there is still a lot to be seen regarding how it will impact other importers. Our preparation will give us a strong market advantage.”

Looking to the future, Royal said Bridges hopes to continue growing its import pear program "with reasonable increases and focus on program customers as much as possible while still having a good volume for market customers.”

In addition to imported pears, Bridges also offers organic apples from Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand. The company's South America apple program begins in late April/early May, while its New Zealand program starts in mid- to late May. Varieties offered include Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Cripps Pink, NZ Queen, and NZ Rose, as well as limited volumes of Granny Smith and Braeburn.