VANCOUVER, B.C. - New Zealand’s pears are officially in play for the 2015 season. The country’s Honey Belles are in the water and on their way to Oppy, anticipated to arrive by the first week of March.

“It’s going to be a huge pear year for Oppy,” David Nelley, Executive Director of Oppy’s apple, pear and cherry categories, said in a press release. “We plan to sell greater volumes of Comice, Taylor’s Gold and Bosc than previous years, positioning us really well to build excitement around the pear category―a category that is sometimes overlooked.”

As for how the new arrivals fit in, according to Nelley, Honey Belles are a compact, healthy snack that are ideal for current consumer desires.

“Honey Belle is a terrific little pear,” Nelley said. “Green with an appealing red blush, it’s unique because of its crunchy texture and honey sweet flavor. Honey Belle delivers a sweet, juicy eating experience that kicks off our specialty pear season from New Zealand perfectly.”

While the company has been importing Honey Belles for four seasons now, the main market has been in Canada. But by focusing on “ready-to-eat” merchandising, as well as cutting-edge packaging that has been popular with Canadian retailers, Oppy is targeting parent consumers for a healthy, quick, yet sweet option for children.

“Small pears like Honey Belles fit the bill thanks to their small size, sweet flavor, and vitamin content,” Nelley said. “Retailers can promote them as an ideal addition to the lunchbox.”

These petite New Zealand pears will be available from March through May, with other pears from the country becoming available later in March and continuing into Summer. According to the release, Oppy will simultaneously be offering Bartlett, Bosc, D’Anjou, and Packham pears from both Chile and Argentina.

Oppy