USA Pears Aims to Drive Health Awareness Amongst Indian Consumers

by Shrutee K/DNS

The Pear Bureau Northwest was established in 1931 as a non-profit marketing organization to promote, advertise and develop markets for fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon. Pears from these two Northwest states are distributed under the USA Pears brand. USA Pears are among the world's finest pears. Grown in Oregon and Washington where the right mix of volcanic soil, clean mountain water and warm spring and summer days, with cool nights, combine to produce some of the world's finest pears. Pears are an excellent source of fiber, providing about 24% of your daily needs. USA Pears contain Levulose, a natural sugar that can satisfy the sweet cravings for everyone, even for diabetics without guilt.

This season, USA Pears have entered India with two varieties of Anjou, both green and red. Also, for the first time a small volume of Starkrimson and Bartlett Pears have been imported into the market. Over the years, India has emerged as one of the fastest growing markets for USA Pears and is currently among the top 10 markets globally. USA Pears perfectly compliment the Indian Pear season. USA Pears are available in the market from November to March. Indian Pears are available from August to October. The Indian market is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years as more consumers get aware and availability penetrates to Tier II and III cities. Pears are often a fruit that get missed out in consumers’ shopping baskets as not much is known about this fruit. We as the representatives of Pear Bureau Northwest, the agency responsible for marketing of USA Pears, are making all efforts to make Indian consumers aware about the nutritional attributes of Pears and also about its wonderful taste as a healthy, anytime snack or as a perfect addition to varied Indian cuisines including salads, entrees and desserts. As far as the promotional plans and strategies, we are concentrating on below the line promotions and look to work with importers, wholesalers and retailers (both modern and traditional) to reach out to discerning consumers across India. For USA Pears we also have a consumer communication program and look to engage with newspapers, magazines, food writers, bloggers and digital and social media influencers.

The demand for the fruit is coming from across the country. While the demand is increasing from Metros and Tier I cities, we have been pleasantly surprised by the consumption increase in small and medium cities. At present, it is more a question of meeting the demand. As supply chain bottlenecks clear and better cold chain systems get created, we expect USA Pears to be consumed across India. Aside from promoting the fruit, we also take care of the necessary measures to educate consumers on how to test the right eating stage for Pears. Most people don’t know how to check Pear ripeness as this fruit does not change color when maturing. Normally, when people buy Pears from retailers it is very hard. USA Pears varieties like Anjou and Bartlett taste best when they are perfectly ripe. For this, we run a campaign called “Check The Neck” where we educate consumers to press gently at the base of the Pear stem near the neck. If the Pear yields slightly, your USA Pear is ready to eat. You can get your pears to ripen by leaving them at room temperature for a couple of days. Once ripe, you can refrigerate the pears for consuming over the next five days. 

USA Pears are a complete package of health, nutrition and taste. Pears are a power house of nutrition! They are an excellent source of fibre, potassium and Vitamin C and are sodium, fat and cholesterol free. A single medium pear contains nearly 24% the daily fibre needs – and is only 100 calories that’s a lot of nutrition in one sweet and juicy package! Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is the foundation for a healthy lifestyle, and pears are a delicious part of this menu. Numerous studies indicate that Pears help reduce cholesterol levels, risk of coronary heart disease and Type II diabetes. These are just a few of the many benefits of Pears, however there are many more benefits including its high nutritionist quotient, a healthy complexion, increased energy, and a lower weight Talking about the price of the fruit, in general, prices for USA Pears are not very different to the prices of similar imported fruits like Apples, Kiwis etc. that have found widespread acceptability. Indian consumers are more than willing to spend if the product is healthy and tasty and good for the family. USA Pears are a wonderful addition to the shopping basket of discerning Indian consumers. For a tasty and healthy treat, indulge yourself with a mouth-watering USA Pear, this winters.