California organic pear harvest is close to kicking off. In the Sacramento Delta region, harvest is expected to start this week, followed by the more northern located Lake County closer to August 7. It is a bit later than usual due to the recent high temperatures the state experienced. "Growing conditions were great up until the last few weeks," says Chris Ford with Viva Tierra Organic. "Then, temperatures spiked and while the heat didn't damage the fruit, it delayed harvest by a few days." This week, temperatures in the region are about ten degrees lower compared to last week.

This year's volume of organic pears is expected to be average. Bartlett is California's main pear variety and while it is difficult to put an exact number to production volume, this year's estimate for Bartlett is around 100,000 boxes. Between the Delta region and Lake County, steady supply is expected between late July and mid-September. While organic Bartletts are the main variety for Viva Tierra, the Delta region is also home to the Bosc variety and smaller quantities of Abate are grown in the state as well.

Southern hemisphere
While customers are enthusiastic about the new crop organic California Bartletts starting soon, fruit from the southern hemisphere is still available. The last South American pears arrived in the U.S. market about two or three weeks ago, but some are still looking for a home, particularly back east. "We hope to get through the import pears quickly to prevent overlap," commented Ford.

The later start of harvest seems to work out this year. "The Northwest is projected to have a down crop and won't be particularly threatening up front as marketers will seek to stretch what they have," said Ford.

"All in all, this is an exciting time of year for Viva Tierra as we kick off our new domestic season with fresh crop while trying to finish off imports in a strong way," says Luis Acuña, President & CEO of Viva Tierra. "The same excitement comes from our retail customers that can't wait to roll out freshly picked organic California Bartlett pears in their stores. Year after year, it has been demonstrated that consumers value the availability of a new crop while supporting local organic family farmers."

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com