A new pear variety called Selena is about to be launched on the French market and will be available between November and February.
The pear, which was developed by Pépinières Escande (Escande Nurseries) and will be sold in France by AZ Mediterranée, is unusual in that it needs to be peeled.
“The skin of the pear is very bitter,” Benoît Escande tells Fruitnet.com. “Some like it a lot and some hate it, so we advise everyone to peel it.”
The trademark is owned by Benoît Escande Editions, which also owns the organic Juliet apple variety. The company has just as ambitious plans for this new variety, although this will take time, according to Mr Escande.
“We will concentrate on the French market, where there is a lot of demand,” he says. “Production is still small. We have been working on this variety for around 10 years. We now know how to grow and store the fruit perfectly, so we can now supply excellent quality fruit, but the volumes are not there yet.
“We plan to have another 50ha planted. This will enable us to gain a foothold in France. There is also interest in Italy.”
The promotional campaign for Selena will include advertising in the French press and instore activities, as well as a big promotional push at Fruit Logistica 2009.
