First Harvest of Newly Developed Happi Pear

In the fall, Stemilt Growers harvested its first commercial crop of the Happi Pear, launching one of the first proprietary pear marketing campaigns in the United States.

The launch serves as a test case to see if new varieties can help to reinvigorate a long-lagging category.

“The thing that we got really excited about with Happi is that we would be able to brand a pear and market it differently than pears are marketed,” said Brianna Shales, Stemilt’s marketing director.

Unlike the apple market, the pear category is still dominated by traditional European cultivars, and consumers want to try something new, she said. Managing a proprietary pear allows for controlling quality to build demand for it.