New research will give farmers insight into which pears consumers like best and how much they are willing to pay for different varieties.

Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of the Pear Bureau Northwest, said the study could benefit farmers. Researchers say the results could give pear growers a better understanding of consumer preferences and confidence that certain pear varieties will do well in the market.

The research — involving surveys, sensory labs and blind taste tests — took place in 2021. The results were recently released.

The study involved some sections with a few hundred participants and others with nearly 2,000. The work was conducted by researchers from Washington State University and Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center. It was funded by the Fresh Pear and Processed Pear Committees of Marketing Order 927.

The objective was to identify which pear characteristics are considered most desirable by consumers in the Pacific Northwest, said Ann Colonna, sensory program director at the Food Innovation Center.

The first finding was that the No. 1 factor consumers consider when buying pears is flavor.

For summer pears, in blind taste tests, consumers ranked Bartletts first for overall best flavor. Happi and Seckel pears approximately tied for second.

Among winter pears, Paragon ranked highest for overall flavor. Green Anjou and Concorde were about tied for second. Comice came in third.

An economic portion of the study analyzed how much consumers were willing to pay for different varieties.

The researchers found that there was a direct correlation between flavor and price. Consumers were willing to pay more for varieties ranked highest for flavor.

For example, consumers said that compared to other varieties, they would pay more per pound for Bartletts, which ranked No. 1 for best flavor among summer varieties.

“If people like the flavor, they will be willing to pay a premium,” said Karina Gallardo, professor and Extension specialist at WSU.

However, shoppers also consider factors beyond taste — such as appearance — when buying pears.

Among summer pears, PiqaBoo ranked highest for overall appearance; Bartlett and Happi tied for second; Harovin was third.

Gem ranked No. 1 for best appearance among winter pears, followed by Concorde, Green Anjou and Comice.

The study trained consumers to evaluate other pear attributes as well, including aroma, taste, mouthfeel and texture, according to Carolyn Ross, professor and director of the Sensory Evaluation Facility at WSU.

The study also found that consumers wish they had more information about the seasonality around different pear varieties, how to tell when each pear is ripe and how best to ripen pears.

More than 70% of consumers also reported they wanted to buy pears that would ripen “after a few days at home.”

Combining the scores across attributes, the researchers created a list of varieties with the highest “overall liking” by consumers. From most to least liked, these were:

1. Paragon

2. Bartlett

3. Green Anjou

4. Concorde

5. Comice

6. Happi

7. Seckel

8. Gem

9. Bosc

10. Reddy Robin

11. PiqaBoo

12. Harovin