WENATCHEE, WA – The second installment of Stemilt Grower's Stemilt-O-Graphic has been released through the company's FruitTracker program. This one page infographic compares the performance of the pear category during a four week period in November 2014 to the same period from last year. Check it out for yourself below:

As a result of a decrease in crop volume, category volume and sales were down slightly year-over-year.

“Pears are alternate bearing fruits and this is the 'off' crop year in the Northwest so it’s not surprising to see a dip in both category volume and dollars,” shared Marketing Director Roger Pepperl. “However, it also tells retailers that now is the time to promote the pear category in order to reverse this trend and capitalize on the great quality of fruit available during the remainder of the season.”

The data, gathered by Nielsen Perishables Group, reveals that Bartlett, d’Anjou, and Bosc were the strongest performing varieties, accounting for a combined 87% of category sales during the recorded period.

Going forward, Stemilt will be working on promotional campaigns to highlight the nutritional profile and origin story of its pears. The timing for this campaign seems appropriate with New Year's resolutions still heavy in the mind of American consumers.

“People want to know where their food came from and who grew it,” explained Pepperl. “Our Rushing Rivers pears come straight from the best pear locales in the world and have a great story to tell. From cartons and signage to videos, photography, and more, we have all the tools to help tell that story to their shoppers this winter and early spring.”

For more on Stemilt's Stemilt-O-Graphics be sure to check out our last story here.

Great work, Stemilt!

Stemilt