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Letter from Our President and CEO

As my first three months comes to a close, I find myself looking back at what I thought my ‘To Do’ list was going to be. It is safe to say that I have not checked off even half of my overzealous list and I couldn’t be happier about it. Tasks cannot replace conversation, and getting to know my team and our members has been the best investment.

Representing a variety of regions and growers is not new to me, nor is battling the misdeeds of Mother Nature, so I walked into this role fully prepared for tough seasons and hard times. Clearly, we decided to cover all of the anomalies in one season. Many of you have reached out to make sure that I was not running for the hills already.

Don’t worry. This is not that kind of letter.

What I have witnessed these past months is a community of growers rallying together to rebuild and reinforce the organization that generations of growers before them created. With the unified intent to share our pears here at home and with the world, we will chart a new path forward. The numbers say this is a rough season, but I say, what a great moment to begin our evolution.

Part of the process is our newsletter. Renamed Fresh Pearspectives, you will see our content evolve to better inform, inspire and entertain you. I invite you to share your input. After all, this is your newsletter intended to support your business. Please let us know what you'd like to see more or less of, and send any suggestions by clicking the button below.

Send Fresh Pearspectives Feedback

USDA Announces Results of the Oregon and Washington Pear Marketing Order Referendum

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that producers in the federal marketing order for pears grown in Oregon and Washington have approved lowering the voting requirement for changes to the fresh pear handling regulations from the current 80% in favor to 75% in favor.

In the referendum, 99.24% of voting producers, representing 99.42% of the production volume voting in the referendum, favored the amendment.

Click HERE for the full announcement.

Mexico

PBNW X 'The Wild Robot' Movie

Pear Bureau Northwest is partnering with DreamWorks Animation for a promotional campaign around the new movie 'The Wild Robot', which premieres in mid-September in Mexico. The campaign will feature USA Pears, focusing on red Anjou, and will include point-of-sale activities, outdoor media, and digital efforts aimed at engaging kids in a fun way as the season begins.

Campaign highlights include:

Billboards: 4 in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey
Tunnel Ad: 1 in Mexico City
Bus Ads: 10 in Mexico City and Monterrey
Mobile Billboard: 1 in Guadalajara
In-Store Promotions: 100 promotional days across 50 stores in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey

Industry Headlines

Grocery Dive: Confusion persists with food traceability rule as compliance date nears

Food Safety News: CPS launches $3.3 million in research projects to tackle critical food safety issues

USDA: Food consumption and nutrient intake trends emerge over past four decades

Upcoming Events & Shows

2024-25 Board of Directors Meeting Dates Announced

Mark your calendars for the remainder of this season's Board of Directors meetings:

November 12: In person, Yakima (venue TBD)
January 7: Zoom only, 9:00am-12:00pm
April & June 2025 meetings TBD

Meeting invitations for Zoom meetings will be sent as the dates approach.

See you There

October 17-19: IFPA's Global Produce & Floral Show, Atlanta
October 18-19: Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival, Calgary
November 8-9: Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival, Edmonton

Call for Grower Recipes

Consumers continue to want to learn more about where their food comes from. What better way is there to connect them with our pear growers than by sharing recipes from growers themselves?

We're collecting recipes to share on social media and our website. Please help spread the word to our grower community and encourage them to share their favorite pear recipes HERE!

Recipe of the Month

Caramel Dutch Pear Pie

Join us as we enjoy this caramel Dutch pear pie. This recipe took first place in last spring's National Pie Championship, sponsored in part by USA Pears.

Visit our website for more recipes!

USA Pears does not endorse the opinions in linked articles unless produced by USA Pears.

Pear Bureau Northwest prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, political beliefs, or disability. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the Pear Bureau at (503) 652-9720.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write the USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 9410, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay).

@USAPears | USAPears.org