140 produce managers from UK retailer Sainsbury's recently paid a visit to East Malling Research, the country's centre of excellence for fruit and horticultural research, based in Kent.
The visit forms part of the retailer's campaign to educate produce managers about how the buyers source the products and how the growers produce them.
The produce managers inspected Sainsbury's Concept Pear Orchard, which will soon be harvesting its first crop of 25 tonnes less than two years after being planted.
The orchard has been developed in collaboration with Chingford Fruits and East Malling Research to demonstrate the potential that exists for UK-grown Conference pears.
Dr Theresa Huxley, product technologist for topfruit, commented: 'It is important that each of our produce managers understand the production process and how much care and attention our growers take with their crops. They can then spread the good news about what we are doing to improve the productivity and quality of this carefully handpicked fruit.'
Dr Mike Solomon, chief executive of East Malling Research, added: 'The orchard is an excellent example of what can be achieved through collaboration between retailers, wholesalers and ourselves to help improve the industry. We are confident that once growers realise the potential offered by the techiniques used in the orchard that they will commit to growing the variety and help ensure the future availability of Conference pears in our supermarkets by increasing UK production.'
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