Happiness makes for a pear-fect collaboration
VINELAND STATION, Ontario, February 1, 2024 – Firm with sweet, juicy flavour and a sun-kissed rosy, yellow-green skin, Vineland’s Happi Pear is ready to debut on the international stage.
Bred over four decades ago by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), in Harrow, Ontario and transferred to Vineland, the Happi Pear is about to shake up the consumer pear market thanks to a global collaboration with Stemilt Growers LLC (Stemilt) and Associated International Group of Nurseries (AIGN®).
“The Happi Pear is a product of AAFC’s breeding program and Vineland’s highly successful multi-disciplinary horticultural innovation and commercialization process. Beginning with the initial selection on our farms, to product branding and marketplace testing at the grocery store, finding the collaborators to position the Happi Pear for commercial success was the next step in this process,” says Dr. Ian Potter, President and CEO, Vineland. “Collaborating with Stemilt and AIGN will enable the licensing and distribution needed to allow for availability on a global scale. As a result, consumers all over the world will have access to an exciting new Canadian pear variety.”
Stemilt will lead the branding, marketing and sub-licensing of the Happi Pear, while AIGN will lead propagation effort and plant sale to growers.
“Happi Pear has a bright future,” says West Mathison, President, Stemilt. “The Vineland team successfully selected a pear with characteristics that make it grower and consumer friendly. We see that as an ideal combination for building a brand that will delight consumers across the globe and we are excited to be part of this collaboration.”
“AIGN is honoured to work with Vineland and Stemilt on the international introduction of the Happi Pear HW624 cultivar. Through our 12 members around the world, AIGN will work to provide management services and intellectual property protection using our one-of-a-kind database Hertha™ and produce high quality trees for Stemilt’s commercialization licensees globally,” says Kevin Brandt, Chief Information Officer, AIGN. “AIGN is comprised of some of the most experienced nurseries in the industry who are focused on delivering new fruit varieties with an exciting eating experience. The HW624 pear cultivar, branded as Happi Pear®, definitely checks this box for the AIGN group and we are enthusiastic over the possibilities ahead.”
Representatives from Vineland, Stemilt and AIGN will be in attendance at Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Germany, February 7-9, 2024. If you would like to arrange a meeting at this event, please contact:
Vineland
Dr. Amy Bowen
Amy.bowen@vinelandresearch.com
Stemilt
Rob Blakey
rob.blakey@stemilt.com
AIGN
Dr. Gavin Porter
gavinporter@anfic.com.au
About AIGN®
AIGN is a world leader in the intellectual property management of tree fruits with more than three decades of experience commercializing new proprietary varieties. Our network of membership allows us to test and distribute products through all the major horticultural regions of the world. AIGN is the owner of Hertha™, an extensive horticultural database system developed to assist in the management of proprietary varieties. For more information, visit www.aign.org.
About Stemilt Growers LLC
Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer and shipper of tree fruit. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt’s mission is to cultivate people and delight consumers with its World Famous Fruits. Stemilt is a leader in sweet cherries and organic tree fruits and a key supplier of apples and pears. The company stewards an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible business through its Responsible Choice® program, which has been in place since 1989. For more information, visit www.stemilt.com.
About Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
Vineland is a uniquely Canadian results-oriented organization dedicated to horticulture science and innovation. We deliver innovative products, solutions and services through an integrated and collaborative cross-country network to advance Canada’s research and commercialization agenda.
Vineland is situated on treaty lands. These lands are steeped in the rich history of the First Nations including the Hatiwendaronk, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people from across Turtle Island live and work in Niagara today. Vineland stands with all Indigenous people, past and present, in promoting the wise stewardship of the lands on which we live.
We are an independent, not-for-profit organization, funded in part by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative. For the latest on our research and innovation, visit www.vinelandresearch.com.
For more information, please contact:
Diana Huson, Director, Marketing & Communications
diana.huson@vinelandresearch.com
905-562-0320 x624
