Challenges of Pear Merchandising Part 3

Challenges of Pear Merchandising Part 3. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

During the annual Hort Convention in December, members of the pear growing community got together for a panel discussion on merchandising, moderated by the Pear Bureau’s Christie Mather. One of the topics were the challenges being faced. Howard Nager with Domex Superfresh Growers.

NAGER: One of those challenges is I think just the explosion of the number of produce items in the produce department. Not only are we competing against all those items but when you really look at it we’re competing against anything that’s a food item. A snack item. A fast food. Other low calorie snacks.

Randy Abhold with Rainier Fruit has another challenge.

ABHOLD: We have bar codes now we have to have on stickers not just a PLU code and if I put a bar code on there how do I message that it’s a ripe pear. So do I put a second sticker on there? Do I put a sticker so big it’s a flag on the side of the pear? On top of that you have these QR Codes that I can walk up with my phone and I can actually have the pulse rate of the person who actually put that in the box somewhere. How do I take all this technology and stay one step ahead of it.

Maybe not quite but the point is well taken. Scott Marboe with Starr Ranch Growers says those new technologies are significant.

MARBOE: That’s our new demographic. That’s our new target market is this younger up and coming consumer and how do we target that. Now you’ve got all these new varieties, you’ve got all this new technology and how do we take advantage of that.

We’ll finish up tomorrow.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.