Canadian pear enthusiasts will soon have greater selection at their local market now that Vineland’s licensed HW624 pear variety is ready to launch on a national scale.

Thanks to a new collaboration with Washington State-based Stemilt Growers LLC (Stemilt), the HW624 variety will soon be available to Canadian growers and consumers offering a new and exciting pear option that is both firm with a sweet flavour and a sun-kissed rosy, yellow-green skin.

The HW624 pear was bred by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Harrow, Ontario and transferred to Vineland’s highly successful multi-disciplinary horticultural innovation and commercialization process in the last decade.

“This variety transitioned from our on-farm selection process to our consumer branding and marketplace testing analysis and was quickly identified as a desirable pear choice by consumers and growers,” says Dr. Ian Potter, president and CEO, Vineland. “Finding the right collaborator was the next step in the commercialization pathway to bring HW624 from our farm to consumer tables. Our collaboration with Stemilt will allow for production and marketing of the variety right across Canada.”

“We’re excited to be part of innovation in the pear category with the fantastic HW624 cultivar,” says West Mathison, Stemilt president. “The Vineland team selected a pear with characteristics that make it grower and consumer-friendly so this will be a great benefit to Canadian growers. It has the qualities that will delight existing and new pear shoppers throughout the country.”

Amanda Moen (Vineland) and Patricia Bowlby (Stemilt) will be present on the tradeshow floor at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Conference held Wednesday, February 21, 2024 and Thursday, February 22, 2024 to discuss this exciting collaboration.

Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer and shipper of tree fruit headquartered in Wenatchee, Washington.

Source:  Vineland Research and Innovation Centre January 16, 2024 news release