Columbia Marketing International, headquartered in Wenatchee, WA, is ready for the national rollout of its new Sweet Gourmet Pears program which includes a new pouch bag. “CMI introduced the Sweet Gourmet pouch bag for Bartletts, Anjous, Red Anjous and Bosc pears on a test basis last year,” said Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing “We were very pleased with the results. We found that the pouch bag grew volume because it increased consumer transactions with a minimal level of cross-category cannibalization. The results were meaningful increases in both dollars and volume.”

The conditioned pear program offered by Rainier Fruit Co. to its retail partners continues to gain traction in the marketplace. “We set record monthly and season shipments of conditioned pears this season,” said Director of Marketing Suzanne Wolter. “We believe it’s a real testament to the appeal for both retailers and consumers, given the extremely large apple crop that’s just now finishing up.”

Domex Superfresh Growers, headquartered in Yakima, WA, is anticipating a 30-percent increase in pear volume this season. “The fruit is looking clean with good sizing for active promotions and movement,” said Vice President of Marketing Howard Nager. “The weather this past season has been ideal for growing pears. The warm days and cool nights combined with the fertile soil of the Pacific Northwest has produced a great crop for this year.”

The Pear Bureau Northwest plans to launch a new consumer advertising and public relations campaign designed to engage and educate consumers, supplying them with vital need-to-know information on pear ripening and recipe usage. “Fun, eye-catching ads will appear in print and digital versions of Cooking Light, Food Network Magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine, Bon Appetit and more,” Director of Communications Cristie Mather told The Produce News. “In addition, online ads for USA Pears will appear on a vast network of food and lifestyle websites.”

Indianapolis Fruit Co. hosted its 27th annual golf outing and trade show July 21-22, drawing more than 100 vendor suppliers and 300 retail customers, making it the best attended event in the company's history. More than 450 total guests enjoyed the two-day expo, held at the Crane Bay Event Center in downtown Indianapolis.

“Country Fresh has continued its efforts to provide our partners with the freshest product and innovative packaging,” said Bob Besix, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Country Fresh Mushroom Co., headquartered in Toughkenamon, PA. “This effort also applies to our soon-to-be unveiled environmentally friendly quick-blanch pouches.”

Besix noted that Country Fresh’s product offerings have expanded to include fresh and quick-blanched to its added-value produce lineup.