Pears are one of the world's oldest cultivated and beloved fruits. In 5,000 B.C., Feng Li, a Chinese diplomat, abandoned his responsibilities when he became consumed by grafting peaches, almonds, persimmons, pears and apples as a commercial venture. In The Odyssey, the Greek poet laureate Homer lauds pears as a "gift of the gods." Pomona, goddess of fruit, was a cherished member of the Roman Pantheon and Roman farmers documented extensive pear growing and grafting techniques. Thanks to their versatility and long storage life, pears were a valuable and much-desired commodity among the trading routes of the ancient world. Evident in the works of Renaissance Masters, pears have long been an elegant still-life muse for artists. In the 17th century a great flourishing of modern pear variety cultivation began taking place in Europe. And in popular culture, the pear tree was immortalized alongside a partridge in the 18th-century Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Early colonists brought the first pear trees to America's eastern settlements where they thrived until crop blights proved too severe to sustain widespread cultivation. Fortunately, the pear trees brought west to Oregon and Washington by pioneers in the 1800's thrived in the unique agricultural conditions found in the Pacific Northwest. Today's Northwest pear varieties are the same or similar to those first cultivated in France and Belgium where they were prized for their delicate flavor, buttery texture, and long storage life.

As more sophisticated irrigation and growing techniques developed during the past century, pear orchards flourished dramatically in the Northwest's river valley regions located in a serpentine sprawl from Northern Central Washington to Central Southern Oregon.

Today, pear orchards in Oregon and Washington are as specialized as the regions that support them. Organic, commercial and multi-generation family orchards all contribute high-quality fruit to the Northwest's fresh pear industry. Consumer interest and enjoyment of Northwest pears grows each year. Thanks to advancements in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage technology, fresh USA Pears are available to consumers nearly year-round.

USA Pears - A Northwest Treasure
The Northwest is the only geographic region in the United States to possess the necessary combination of climatic and geographic settings needed to produce the high-quality, delicious pears grown in Oregon and Washington. The blend of rich volcanic soil, abundant water, warm days and cool nights creates ideal growing conditions for the pear varieties found in the Northwest. There are four primary growing regions that produce pears marketed under the USA Pears logo.

Mid-Columbia/Hood River: This rich pear growing region stretches along both the Oregon and Washington banks of the Columbia River. Here, thousands of acres of USA Pears flourish under the snowcapped peaks of Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood, two volcanoes of the Cascade Volcano Range

Medford District: The Rogue River valley, situated near Medford in southern Oregon, has long been home to high-yield pear orchards. In view of Mt. McLoughlin, the southern-most growing region of the Northwest nurtures pear trees that produce beautiful, sweet, and juicy pears.

Wenatchee Valley: The rugged North Central Washington growing region is fiercely proud of its consistency in producing high-quality pears enjoyed the world over. With orchards dating back to the 1850's, the Wenatchee Valley is an abundant producer of all USA Pear varieties.

Yakima Valley: The plentiful water and light, fertile soil of the agricultural-rich Yakima Valley supports thousands of acres of NW Pear trees. The growing regions in Washington share their volcanic influences from Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier.

Fresh USA Pear Crop Statistics

• Pears are Oregon's number one tree fruit crop, and its' #10 agricultural commodity
• Oregon's total pear production ranks 3rd overall in the United States and 2nd in terms of fresh pear production
• In Washington State, pear production ranks number two (only behind apples) and is the state's #11 agricultural commodity
• Washington's fresh pear production is the largest in the United States
• Combined annual pear production for Washington and Oregon averages over 650,771 tons
• About a quarter of the overall pear crop goes to the canning industry (not represented by the Pear Bureau Northwest). Most canning pears are Bartletts, with 63% of this variety used for the canning and processing industry
• If compared to other (non-Asian variety) pear-producing countries, Oregon's production alone would rank ninth worldwide; Washington's would rank eighth worldwide.