PORTLAND, Ore. – October 7, 2021

Morris brings over 12 years of combined retailer and marketing experience to the Pear Bureau Northwest team. Most recently, Morris created and executed omni-channel marketing programs for key accounts and specialty retailers at Keen Footwear, where he worked as the Retail Marketing Manager for three years. His experience covers many areas in the consumer goods category and he brings a unique perspective on the retail world to Pear Bureau Northwest.

“I’m excited to combine my broad experience in marketing and communications with my passion for studying consumer behavior, especially during a time of such rapid change. I’m also proud to represent an industry that is vital to my adopted home in the Pacific Northwest. I feel very much at home here and am honored to join this team,” said Morris.

Pear Bureau Northwest President and CEO Kevin Moffitt points out that Morris’ cross-section and depth of experience is highly complementary to the organizations commitment to launching innovative promotions and keeping Northwest pears top of mind for consumers. “We are very pleased to have Jim join our team. His experience will allow us to continue progressing as we enter our 90th year and I believe he will be a valuable asset to helping our team push boundaries in our promotions at retail as well as our PR and advertising aimed at increasing consumption of fresh pears across the board.”

Morris earned a B.S. in Technical Journalism, with a minor in Earth Sciences and a specialization in Corporate Communications. He lives in Portland, Ore., where he pursues photography, hiking and cycling throughout the region.

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PORTLAND, Ore. – September 30, 2021 – Just in time for National Pizza Month, USA Pears is bringing back its pear pizza takeover campaign. Following a successful execution the past two seasons, resulting in greater consumer awareness of pears on pizza, the organization is bringing the campaign back for its third year. The latest iteration of the campaign includes a consumer contest on social media, influencers and bloggers creating and sharing their pear pizza recipes, and major retailers posting pear pizza content for their shoppers.

The natural sweetness and soft texture of pears is a perfect complement to the savory flavors of pizza, and USA Pears is committed to showing consumers across North America how delicious and accessible this combination can be. With many consumers still staying home and looking for simple recipes, and many others venturing out to restaurants, pizza continues to be a popular meal option.

This season’s #pearpizza campaign kicks off October 1 with a consumer social media contest, where entrants are required to share a picture of their own pear pizza creations or their orders at restaurants. The campaign also includes influencers and brand ambassadors sharing pear pizza content on the USA Pears social media channels and retailers promoting the usage of pears as a topping.

“Every year we see more and more consumers and restaurants using pears as a pizza topping in their personal kitchens and on menus. Adding fruit on pizza can still be a hot button issue for many people, but the approachable sweetness of pears, especially the 10 varieties that come from the Northwest, makes them ideal for using in savory dishes such as pizza,” said USA Pears Creative Marketing Manager Neil Ferguson. “The application of pears to the dishes we eat every day can elevate them from simple and basic to flavorful and sophisticated, not to mention adding nutritional value. There are so many delicious flavor possibilities when it comes to using pears as a pizza topping, all of which have the ability to present this classic dish in a new light.”

Though they are sometimes overlooked in savory dishes, pears are a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of recipes. The multi-faceted campaign is an effective way to engage consumers with pear content and offer an easy and delicious way to eat more pears and add more healthy produce to their pizza.

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“Pear growers are reporting an excellent quality crop this season with some saying it is the best they have seen in a decade,” stated Kevin Moffitt, President and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW). “The fruit finish for this year’s pear crop is outstanding with beautiful shape and high sugars. These attributes make for remarkable eating quality leading to a high level of consumer satisfaction. There will be a full range of sizes available, including popular large-sized fruit, smaller sizes to fill the trendy pouch bags, as well as sizes to fulfill export market demand. Our team has been working hard to get good, effective promotions up and running to get the season off to a strong start. Retailers are engaged and optimistic about the pear season, as is our team and the sales organizations we have coordinated with during recent strategy calls.”

Harvest started in early August for summer varieties like Starkrimson and Bartletts across all regions, with growers beginning to pick Bosc, Green and Red Anjou within the next two weeks. Specialty pears like Comice, Seckel, Forelle and Concorde pears will be available in September to add an array of unique and flavorful pear choices for shoppers.

The organic pear estimate is expected to come in at 1.94 million standard boxes, which is nearly 12% of the total projected Northwest crop.

“The industry is passionate about providing consumers with the best possible eating experience,” stated Moffitt. “To meet consumer demands for sweet and juicy pears to enjoy 1 to 3 days from purchase, the industry continues to expand and promote the conditioning program, which is proven to increase retail sales and enhance the consumer eating experience.” Moffitt continued.

PBNW Lead Regional Marketing Manager Bob Catinella added, “With strong momentum out of the gate, this season is off to a great start. We have a strong promotion plan in place and retailers have shown initial enthusiasm towards implementing pear promotions in-store and online.”

DOMESTIC PROMOTIONS

Making use of the latest trends and innovations in digital marketing as well as inside stores, PBNW has launched fresh promotions across the U.S. and Canada. The 2021-22 season has started with an emphasis on generating excitement around summer varieties like Bartlett and bright red Starkrimsons, using pears for back-to-school snacks, leading up to Halloween promotions. PBNW has greatly expanded its online shopping programs at retail sites over the past season and will continue to do so throughout 2021-22 with banner ads and other shopper marketing promotions. Display bins with bright, attractive graphics are beginning to be distributed to retailers around the U.S. These bins feature a QR code leading shoppers to short videos introducing the growers of USA Pears.

“Consumers continue to be very interested in knowing where their food comes from. These videos bring them right into the beautiful orchards of the Pacific Northwest to meet the growers who take such great care to bring fresh USA Pears to the marketplace,” said Moffitt.

Consumer advertising on social media channels will inspire consumers to add pears to their favorite recipes such as salads, hot cereal and even pizza with the theme that “Pears elevate everyday life.”

“While pears are incredibly versatile and can be used in a ton of recipes, we are focused on showcasing the simple application of pears to everyday dishes as a way to elevate flavor, nutrition and sense of well-being,” said PBNW Creative Marketing Manager Neil Ferguson. “Consumers want food that is easy to make and fits into the rhythm of life, and pears make a delicious addition. As always, we will continue reinforcing pear storage and ripening, providing education to consumers so they can have the best possible eating experience with pears.”

Promotions that follow will include a #PearPizza takeover in October for National Pizza Month, World Pear Day on December 5th, and baking and entertaining during the holidays.

INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS

The PBNW export team continues to look for new innovative ways to reach consumers and build on the success of the past season with its digital consumer outreach activities.

“PBNW has shifted its marketing focus to more digital consumer outreach last season and will continue that promotional pivot into the upcoming season. PBNW will have a good promotional presence in twenty export markets, with more promotional focus and priority to the close-proximity export markets – Mexico, Canada and the Central America region – which have been the leading export markets for the industry,” stated Jeff Correa, Director of Export Promotions.

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PORTLAND, Ore. – July 7, 2021 – On Thursday, June 3rd, the Northwest pear industry elected new officers during their annual meeting. With the confidence and support of the marketing organization, the newly elected officers to Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) will lead the board, and the elected officers to the Fresh Pear Committee (FPC) will lead the committee in accordance with Marketing Order 927: Pears Grown in Oregon and Washington. Scott Martinez of the Medford, OR growing region will be the new PBNW Chairman, with Jordan Matson from Yakima, WA elected as 1st Vice Chair. In 2nd Vice Chair is Don Gibson from the Mid-Columbia district, and 3rd Vice Chair is Ron Gonsalves for the Wenatchee, WA district. Each of these officers are serving their first year and will fulfill a term that began July 1st, 2021 and will conclude June 30th, 2022.

Officers for the Fresh Pear Committee were also elected to serve starting July 1st, 2021 to June 30th, 2022. Andrew Peterson of the Wenatchee growing district will serve as Chair for a second and final term, Jorge Arias of Yakima will serve as 1st Vice Chair for a first term, Matt Borman of Medford will serve as 2nd Vice Chair for a second term, and Ed Ing of Mid-Columbia district will serve as Secretary/Treasury for a second term.

The newly elected officers, as well as the rest of the board members, will continue to work as voices and representatives of the fresh pear industry, as a whole. They are looking forward to helping steer the industry in new directions and to playing a pivotal role in making decisions for the Fresh Pear Committee and PBNW.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we are more dedicated than ever to executing innovative, attention-grabbing promotions. We continue to focus on growing the pear category and generating more consumer demand for fresh pears amid the changing retail environments and consumer shopping patterns. Partnerships and collaborations with our industry are essential to our success. Having strong leadership in place allows us to fulfill our mission to always serve the industry with progressive, forward-looking programs,” said PBNW President and CEO Kevin Moffitt. “We are poised and ready to work with the new PBNW board and Fresh Pear Committee elected to represent their districts to provide guidance and direction.”

“As I go into my 36th year working with the pear growers in the Northwest, I look forward to serving the industry and working with the professional team at Pear Bureau Northwest,” stated Scott Martinez, Vice-President of Sales at Rivermaid Trading Company. “The organization continues to represent and promote the finest pears in the world raised by the growers in Oregon and Washington.”

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PORTLAND, Ore. – June 24, 2021 – USA Pears is excited to announce that the organization has been awarded Best In-house Digital Marketing Campaign for its Virtual Flavor Experience videos from PR News and the Social Shake-up’s 2021 Digital + Social Media Awards. The videos also won honorable mention in the overall video category, against strong entries from major brands. The annual awards recognize the most innovative and industry-altering digital communicators and campaigns.

The videos were developed in-house to highlight the people and places that make the Northwest pear industry so unique with a primary objective of creating tantalizing pear moments. Many consumers are also interested in learning where their food comes from, and the video series emphasized the flavor and versatility of pears with the joy of biting into a deliciously ripe pear being shared by the people that grow them. The videos were used extensively on the USA Pears organic and paid social media channels, as well as shared with retailer digital marketing platforms.

“Our organization takes great pride in the creative content we produce in-house. We are honored to accept this award for a campaign that we feel showcases the passion of Northwest pear growers and features the amazing flavor and versatility of fresh pears that they grow,” said Neil Ferguson, Creative Marketing Manager at USA Pears, who conceptualized, wrote, produced and directed the videos. “With the elimination of in-person consumer sampling opportunities this past year, we brought the virtual flavor experience to shoppers directly from the orchards. With this award-winning campaign and a successful season wrapping up, we plan to continue developing beautiful content highlighting the unique flavor and versatility of fresh pears.”

In addition to winning Best In-house Digital Marketing Campaign, USA Pears and Pear Bureau Northwest received honorable mention for the Instagram Campaign category for their Instagram Augmented Reality (AR) feature, “What’s Your Pear-sonality”. These honors reflect the organization’s continued investment into digital content that is fresh, engaging and forward-thinking. They were featured alongside content that included the season’s targeted ads highlighting pear varieties and flavor traits, over 400 shoppable recipes, featured influencer campaigns, and digital promotions with retailers.

The videos are available to watch here. If you would like a download of any video, please email Neil Ferguson: nferguson@usapears.com.

Be sure to follow USA Pears on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest throughout the season to see and learn more about pears.

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PORTLAND, Ore. – May 13, 2021 – Pear Bureau Northwest is excited to welcome Michele Hoard to the company as the new Regional Marketing Manager for the Midwest region.

Through her work consulting with domestic and international brands, including the National Mango Board, New York Apple Association, Zespri Fruit and Red Bull, Hoard brings a range of talent and experience to the position. She brings established retailer relationships and knowledge setting up innovative in-store and digital promotions that drive category performance for retailers. Hoard’s hiring comes at a pivotal moment when Pear Bureau Northwest has shifted its strategy to driving consumer demand for pears wherever they shop, both in-store and online.

“I have always enjoyed working on behalf of produce organizations to increase grower returns, and when I heard about the position with Pear Bureau Northwest, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with such a forward-thinking organization. This opportunity affords me the chance to make a direct impact for growers and grow category sales for our retailers,” said Hoard.

Kevin Moffitt, President and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest, emphasized that “Michele’s creative thinking and diverse range of retail experience makes her a valuable and welcome addition to our organization. Her experience working with respected produce groups and brands will benefit the Bureau and build on our team’s development and execution of innovative promotions for Northwest pears designed to increase pear consumption and sales.”

As Regional Marketing Manager of the Midwest region, Hoard will focus on keeping pears in front of the consumer at retail and making the pear category profitable for major retailers such as Kroger, HEB, Meijer, SuperValu, Jewel-Osco, Roundy’s, Super Target, Hy-Vee and more.

To contact Michele Hoard or reach the Pear Bureau Regional Marketing Managers, visit http://trade.usapears.org/regional-managers/.

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PORTLAND, Ore. – April 20, 2021 – The pear industry in the Pacific Northwest has added a regulation for Anjou pears in a move to increase consumer satisfaction when they purchase pears in the early season. “The pear industry understands that flavor drives repeat purchases and consumer satisfaction. We also know that the majority of consumers want to eat pears within 1-3 days of purchase,” said Kevin Moffitt, President and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest. “This Anjou regulation is the latest step in the industry’s efforts to deliver high quality fruit that will ripen properly and in a timely manner to satisfy consumers’ desire for sweet, juicy pears. We are excited to see this quality standard implemented to improve pear eating quality.”

In a process that was started last June, the industry-led Fresh Pear Committee (FPC) voted through USDA process to lower the early-season pressure requirement for Anjou pears to help ensure that the pears receive the post-harvest cooling they need in order to ripen properly. Beginning with a 10-point justification from the FPC, the USDA thoroughly reviewed the request and, after eleven months, the new regulation will go into effect this Friday, April 23.

“Successful passage of this regulation is just one more action showing retailers and consumers that our industry is committed to bringing them the best eating quality for pears grown in the Northwest,” said Moffitt.

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Retailers show major red pear love with easy-to-enter display challenge

PORTLAND, Ore. – March 18, 2021 – Ladies and gentleman, we have the first winner in our nationwide “Aisle of Red Pears” (Say it out loud!) display challenge! While every entry is an instant winner, Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) is pleased to announce the first winner of one of our grand prize drawings of a $500 GIFT CARD. The initial prize goes to a Fresh Thyme store. It’s not too late to enter and take home a big prize. Taking place from January through March, the challenge is still open for retailers of all sizes in the U.S. and Canada.

“The produce team at the Fresh Thyme store in Iowa was among the many high caliber entries we received for this challenge. All Fresh Thyme locations have always showed passion and creativity when it comes to merchandising pears, and we are happy to see them win one of our ‘Aisle of Red Pears’ grand prizes,” said Regional Marketing Manager Bob Catinella.

The challenge is simple to enter, with all entries receiving a $25 gift card. To enter, retailers are required to upload a photo of an eye-catching, 12-square-foot display of Red Anjou pears. See details and entry form here.

“We are excited to select an early winner for our first ever ‘Aisle of Red Pears’ display challenge, which has thus far received an enthusiastic response from retailers,” said Kevin Moffitt, President and CEO of PBNW. “Red pears are often overlooked in the category, so asking retailers to build large, eye-catching displays of red pears is an effective way to increase sales of Red Anjou pears and pears in general. By making the challenge simple to enter and making everyone an immediate winner, we have seen some amazing displays that are resulting in double digit sales increases.”

Alongside Green Anjou and Bosc, Red Anjou pears are among the key varieties of Northwest pears that PBNW promotes during the second half of its season. The “Aisle of Red Pears” display challenge is one of the many innovative promotional tactics the organization has carried out this season on behalf of its growers and shippers. PBNW continues to push boundaries and explore new ways to drive sales of Northwest pears.

View and download photos of some of our favorite entries here.

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PORTLAND, Ore. – February 23, 2021 – USA Pears is excited to launch its #WhatsInYourFruitBowl initiative at a time when consumers are more focused than ever on developing healthy eating habits at home. Taking place during the month of March, this year is set to be the most wide-reaching initiative yet with powerful industry partnerships and engagement.

Sharing striking, colorful visuals on social media can encourage positive eating habits, with one study finding that people are more likely to eat additional portions of fruits and vegetables when they believe their social peers are doing the same. With the recent 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasizing once again that Americans are not eating enough fruit (only 20% achieve recommended intakes), it’s the perfect time to motivate consumers to eat more.

This year, USA Pears is excited to announce that Sunkist Growers and California Raisins Marketing Board will be joining the movement while National Mango Board and California Avocado Commission will once again be partnering to amplify this consumer movement. All four organizations will engage consumers with a sweepstakes and content centered around healthy eating habits and the importance of maintaining a well-stocked fruit bowl in the home.

“We believe that #WhatsInYourFruit Bowl is a perfectly timed campaign to coincide with National Nutrition Month. These days, many consumers are still spending more time at home and trying to maintain healthy meals and support their immunity by including more nutritious produce,” said USA Pears Marketing Communications Director Kathy Stephenson. “Perhaps now more than ever, keeping a fruit bowl stocked with vibrantly colored fresh and dried fruit is essential and is a simple way to keep produce close at hand. We are looking forward to other fruit producers, retailers, dietitians, influencers and associations joining us to turn the fruit bowl into a healthy movement.” Stephenson reminds us that, “firm pears should ripen at room temperature, on the counter or in a fruit bowl, and they can be moved to the fridge when ripe to keep for a few more days.”

The promotions – including a sweepstakes hosted by USA Pears and a social media campaign encouraging consumers to share their own fruit bowl pictures on their social media channels – place an emphasis on the many nutritional benefits to be gained from making pears and all fruits a regular part of the day. With one medium-sized pear providing 6 grams of fiber (21% of daily recommended), as well as having vitamin C, pears are a delicious and nutritious heart-healthy snack. Additionally, all 10 varieties of Northwest pears – including Green and Red Anjou – are certified Heart-Healthy by the American Heart Association.

In addition, the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) will be amplifying on its social media channels @fruitsandveggies by way of activating several of their Have A Plant® Ambassadors, who will share posts with their more than 1 million followers.

“PBH is a proud supporter of this clever initiative and is exceptionally excited about the promotion this year as it coincides with PBH’s recent State of the Plate Research launch,” says Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President & CEO of PBH. “We know from our research that people simply aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables, AND in order to inspire true behavior change that instills life-lasting habits, we have got to make this easy. Keeping your fruit bowl filled and front and center is one of the easiest ways we can get everyone in the family to Have A Plant® – choosing and enjoying more fruits and veggies more often every single day.”

To keep up with all of the fun and ins-pear-ation or to join in, make sure to follow @USAPears on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and don’t forget the hashtag: #whatsinyourfruitbowl

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PORTLAND, Ore. – February 2, 2021 – Aided by the USDA’s Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funds, Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) has launched a series of consumer outreach promotions using new digital platforms and content partners – Pictoline, Discovery Network, and a team of social media influencers. The additional ATP funding will allow PBNW to increase consumer outreach efforts and work together with different communication outlets, reaching a broader audience throughout Latin America, especially millennials and moms. The content developed with these new alliances and partnerships highlights the key messages of USA Pears – health/nutritional benefits, versatility in different recipes, and the wide assortment of varieties available in the Latin American markets.

Monica Moreno, Marketing Manager for Grupo PM, PBNW’s marketing representatives in Mexico and Central America, sees these partnerships as a unique way to connect with consumers. “Now more than ever, we need to talk directly to our consumers who have health and nutrition on their minds. By working with large communication and content platforms like Discovery and Pictoline, and building our influencer team, we are looking to reach out to new and key audiences and show them how USA Pears can have a direct benefit on their health.”

PBNW is working with Pictoline to develop shareable infographics featuring pears to broadcast on their social media channels. Earlier this season, Pictoline developed and released a new USA Pears infographic, focusing specifically on how nutritional eating may help improve the immune system. Cristina Lombana from Pictoline agrees that the USA Pears/Pictoline partnership has provided PBNW with a unique way to connect with Mexican consumers. “Working with USA Pears gave us the freedom to do what we know best: visualize information, give life to new characters, and connect with our audience in an entertaining and creative way that other outlets may not allow for.”

With the Discovery Network, PBNW has launched a six-month promotional program that began earlier this season. The consumer outreach includes a mix of TV and digital content that shows the versatility and nutritional value of fresh pears. Discovery Kids, Food Network and Home & Health are showcasing USA Pears in video tips, video recipes and games to consumers in Latin America. According to Nancy Garcia, Ad Sales Executive, “Discovery is a network where we care about people’s passions and interests, so working with a partner like USA Pears is a highlight this year. These videos are reaching our audiences who interested in wellness, family and gourmet topics.”

Lastly, PBNW has gathered an all-star group of media influencers who are sharing tips, recipes and nutritional values for pears on social media from November 2020 to March 2021.

This is the first time PBNW has embarked on these type of integrated promotions across the Latin American market, reaching new audiences and gaining an important place in the minds of consumers as they shop.

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