12/18/08 Pear Marketing Part 3

Pear marketing Part 3. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The landscape for marketing fruit like pears is evolving. There are changes in who the prime target is, the size of the market, health issues to name a few. Pear Bureau's Kevin Moffitt is always looking for unique ways to get the message out. MOFFITT: As stores evolve, so do consumer habits and packaging. Many items are sold in more consumer friendly packages and we shouldn't get too far behind that trend. What about sleeved pears or a package that could hold a premium such as a pear slicer. Maybe take a cue from the consumer packaged goods and put a sticker touting "one free pear inside" on your package. Marketing is a game whether it is selling toys, computers, make up or food items. As a kid we were didn't really care what kind of cereal was in the box but what the cool item was inside. But Moffitt says producers need to invest in research. MOFFITT: We do have a strong research commitment but frankly it's a small percentage of the value of our crop. We're investing less than one half of one percent of our crop value into research. A large food company, Nestle, spent closer to 2 percent on R&D in 2007. He says the 2008 Farm Bill has helped. MOFFITT: Now the farm bill is helping as it includes $1-billion dollars for specialty crop research and our industry is utilizing these programs to bolster our own investments. But it is important to invest when times are good. Invest in research but also invest in your business and upgrade orchards and equipment when returns are strong. This is going to help you stay competitive moving forward. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.