California Pear Growers Push for Quality, Fair Market as Early Season Approaches

The AgNet News Hour featured California Pear Advisory Board Executive Director Chris Zanobini, who discussed the upcoming pear season, market challenges, imported fruit concerns, and the future of one of California’s longtime specialty crop industries. Zanobini said the 2025 season was difficult for California pear growers, largely because of heavy competition from imported fruit on retail shelves. One of the biggest concerns is fruit treated with shelf-life extension products, which can leave pears hard and slow to ripen. “Any inferior product in the marketplace, whether it’s from somewhere else or even from our neighbors, definitely has a negative impact on the product that we’re producing,” Zanobini said. California pear growers have taken a different approach. Zanobini said the industry made a commitment several years ago not to use 1-MCP, a ripening inhibitor used in some imported pears. “We know that our product is going to get in there, it’s going to turn color, and it’s going to have that sweet, juicy, incredible flavor that consumers want,” he said. That quality message is especially important as California’s pear industry continues to shrink. Zanobini said the state is now down to about 50 pear growers and roughly 4,000 acres, compared to hundreds of growers and much larger production numbers in previous decades. “These families have been doing this for multiple generations,” he said. “In many cases, we’re into the fifth or sixth generation of pear farmers.” The 2026 crop is expected to arrive early, following the same trend seen in several California crops this season. Zanobini said Bartlett pears could begin showing up by the fourth week of June, possibly earlier. “We bloomed two weeks earlier,” he said. “As long as things continue to go the way they’ve been going, we will definitely have pears by the end of June.” For consumers, the message is simple: look for California-grown or USA-grown labels when buying pears. Zanobini said those PLU stickers matter, especially when shoppers are trying to avoid imported pears that may not deliver the same eating experience. “Come the end of June, eat pears,” he said. “Eat California pears.” The conversation also touched on broader pressures facing California agriculture, including labor, fuel, freight, water, regulations, and competition from imports. Zanobini said growers are not looking for handouts—they simply want a fair chance to grow a high-quality product and get paid for it. “Farmers don’t really want bailouts,” he said. “They want to do their day’s work, grow a wonderful product, and then get paid for it.” Despite the challenges, Zanobini said the outlook for this year’s crop is strong, with good supply and excellent quality expected. Listen to the full interview below or on your favorite podcast app.