Strong sales results in Germany, Scandinavia and southern Europe have apparently bolstered interest among growers
Dutch marketer The Greenery plans to expand production of its trademarked Sweet Sensation pears, which it says continue to prove popular, especially among consumers in Germany, Scandinavia, and southern Europe.
“We see that there is more interest among growers in growing Sweet Sensation,” commented sales manager Ton van Wiggen.
In an update issued following its annual growers meeting, the company said it had seen “excellent results” over the past season.
With a loyal customer base across Europe, the group’s growers apparently managed to achieve a higher gross payout price for their approximately 5,000-tonne crop over the past year, despite some hail damage.
And in January, the International Taste Institute in Brussels awarded Sweet Sensation pears with a Superior Taste Award.
Meanwhile, Sweet Dored, a trademark used for pears that do not meet the quality requirements of Sweet Sensation, is also reported to have achieved good results.
Partly as a result, The Greenery said, the average price for both Sweet Sensation and Sweet Dored has increased by between €0.30 and €0.35 in five seasons.
This year’s prize for best packout was awarded for the third time to Alfred van den Berg of Wijk bij Duurstede, which achieved a packout of almost 78 per cent.
Van den Berg commented: “What it all comes down to is that what you pay attention to, grows. I take the tips we get via The Greenery growers app to heart and spend a lot of time and attention on pruning and crop care. Winning the cup is not necessarily the goal, but it is a nice icing on the cake.”
With strong results to back up the brand, The Greenery has therefore opted to make more trees available to growers in the coming years.
