From Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
In collaboration with Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland), Vineland Growers’ Co-operative Ltd. has launched the Cold Snap TM pear. This made-in-Canada pear brand, whose varietal name is Harovin Sundown, delivers a sweet, fresh crunch from mid-October through March making this pear Winter’s Favourite FruitTM.
Vineland’s Consumer Insights team conducted focus group studies to better understand pear consumer preferences, building the foundation for a robust marketing and branding strategy. “We discovered the Cold SnapTM brand pear’s attributes – a uniquely round shape with red blush skin, a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity and a good texture that is not too mushy or crunchy – appeal to consumers,” said Dr. Amy Bowen, Vineland’s Research Program Leader, Consumer Insights. “The Cold SnapTM pear refreshes the pear category at retail, introducing the first innovative pear in Canada in a number of years.”
The pear, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Harrow Research and Development Centre, was licensed to Vineland in 2009. In 2011, Vineland entered into a commercial license agreement with Niagara-based Vineland Growers’ Co-operative Ltd. providing it with the exclusive Canadian rights to produce and sell the pear. Since then 75,000 pear trees have been planted across Ontario and Nova Scotia by co-operative member growers who welcome this new pear, as it is fire blight-resistant and offers a longer storage life than other pears. Plantings have also begun in Europe and the United States, making the Cold Snap™ pear a Canadian brand marketed to the world. The variety is available in Canada in selected Loblaws, Sobeys, Costco Wholesale, Walmart and Metro stores.
For more information, visit coldsnappear.ca or contact: Mike Ecker, President Vineland Growers’ Co-operative mike@vinelandgrowers.com
(For the full press release announcing the Cold SnapTM brand pear, please visit http://tinyurl.com/pwsasq4)
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