Asian pears latest success story for exotic fruit fancier -
but the niche may be fleeting as other farmers start exploiting the same markets

By Jeffrey Carter, Special to Ontario Farmer
Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Just because no one's growing it in Canada, doesn't mean it can't be done.

That's the attitude of Quebec farmers Ken and Lorraine Taylor who grow Asian pears and scores of other exotic fruit at Wind Point Organic Farm in Quebec. Their 70-acre property is located on Ile Perrot, just 30 minutes from downtown Montreal.

Dr. Ken Taylor talked about the farm, and his research effort, at the recent Guelph Organic Conference.

"I have a farmer's market on the farm and I try to adjust to what consumers' tastes are and how they're changing," Taylor says.

"People love their fresh fruit and vegetables the year round... In an average year, we probably grow 500 different fruits and vegetables."

While Taylor and his wife farm in a substantial way, the effort is heavily weighted toward research rather than commercial production. Taylor has a full-time job as a professor of biochemistry at McDonald College.

He enjoys looking for new or unusual fruit varieties that can be grown in Canada and provide marketing opportunities for farmers. He's found many things that haven't worked but there have also been successes.

The Asian pear is one.

The fruit is now imported and widely distributed across North America. Growers in the United States experimented with the crop in the 1990s but North American production never became popular.

Taylor feels the timing was wrong. Consumers were unfamiliar with the crop and in California, where it was first introduced, other crops were deemed more lucrative.

The attitude may be changing. Taylor has proven that several hardy Asian pear varieties can be grown on his Montreal farm and the potential income is appealing.

Taylor has seen imported Asian pears being retailed for close to $4 per fruit. At a dollar a pound, Taylor figures the domestic crop value would add up to $125,000 an acre.

"I would think that would be green-flag for everyone. It seems crazy that no one is chasing this fruit."

That's changing. Taylor has been selling, in a small way, three different Asian pear varieties to Canadian growers. The grafted trees will produce their first fruit in a couple years but it will take four to five years, under proper management, to build significant production.

Taylor feels the Asian pears he produces on his farm - there was a bumper crop in 2005 - are superior in taste compared to the imports. The fruit also stores well in modest facilities for a year or more.

While the Asian pear has a lot of commercial potential, it will lose its appeal if enough farmers start growing it, Taylor says. It's the same with any novel fruit or vegetable but that's how agriculture moves forward, he says.

"If you find that there's any one thing that works well for you, you should immediately start looking for something else because there's sure to be someone else who can do it too, and probably do it better."

That's one of the reasons why marketing is just as important as growing quality crops, Taylor says.

Growing novel crops is just one way of breaking open new markets. Taylor says farmers might also consider: unusual produce colours; opportunities to store produce beyond their normal season of availability; and broadening the range of uses, such as making wine and non-food uses.

Taylor described some of the more usual fruits he has on his farm which may have commercial potential.

• Big Mama mongo cherry, a large, purple cherry with a high brix count that ripens from mid to late September.
• Sea berry, a fruit well known in Europe, that is easy to maintain but is difficult to pick by hand because of thorns. Taylor is looking for a thornless variety.
• Manor Chum, a cross between a cherry and plum that's large like a plumb but small seeded like a cherry.
• Winter cranberry, which can be left hanging into the winter.
• Seedless grapes adapted to colder climates.
• Honey berries, a fruit related to the honey suckle. Somewhat similar to blueberries, it ripens before strawberries.
• Medlars, a fruit known in Europe that's allowed to "rot" before it's consumed.
• Goji berries, which originate in the Himalayas and are extremely high in antioxidants. Taylor has seen dried berries in health food stores for $37 for a 100-gram bag.

OACC gratefully acknowledges Ontario Farmer for permission to post this article on our website.


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