Dole officially debuted the Smurfs’ co-branded Truval Pear packaging at the CIIE Exhibition in Shanghai
Belgian Fruit Valley (BFV) and Dole China are marking the 13th anniversary of the entry of Truval Belgian Pears into China by teaming up with popular television characters The Smurfs.
At this year’s CIIE Exhibition, which took place on 5-10 November in Shanghai, the two companies jointly organised the ’Truval Pear & Smurfs Co-branding Ceremony’ to officially unveil the collaboration between the two famous Belgian exports.
The Dole booth debuted the Smurfs’ co-branded Truval Pear packaging on 6 November.
Guests included Bruno Angelet, ambassador of Belgium to China, Thomas Simillion, Asia business development manager at BFV, and Vivian Wang, marketing director of Dole China.
“Thanks to Dole, I can introduce the beloved Belgian Truval pear to you here,” said Angelet. ”As a Belgian, the memory of pear is deeply rooted in my childhood memories, and I have always liked Conference Pears very much.
”In Belgium, where we enjoy a centuries-old tradition of cultivating pears, everyone knows the conference pear. This is thanks to Belgium’s unique combination of soil, climate and cultivation method.
”The unique delicate flavour, shape of the pear as well as the “freckles” on the skin are well known to all,” he outlined. “We hope that all Chinese consumers can enjoy the delicious flavor of Truval pears.”
The Smurfs were created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Peyo, and remain popular around the world. They first came to mainland China in 1985.
Dole introduced the Belgian Truval pear to the Chinese market in January 2011, and Dole China has been one of the largest importers and distributors of pears across the domestic market over the past 13 years.
At present, Truval Pears imported by Dole account for 90 per cent of the total import volume of Belgian pears, with Dole China becoming the largest importer of pears in Asia.
Dole distributes Truval Belgian pears to major supermarkets such as Sam’s, Box Office, Walmart, Ole, Metro, Aeon, Huan Sheng, 7-Fresh, as well as to first and second tier wholesale markets such as Hui Zhan, Jiangnan, Gaobeidian, Bazhajia, Jiaxing and more.
Truval pears started selling in October this season, and will be available until June next year.
