The closure of Del Monte Foods' pear cannery in Yakima earlier this year is affecting Washington's tree fruit industry. Growers have been left without contracts, pears are rotting in orchards, and fresh markets are oversupplied with fruit that was not intended for that channel.
At its peak, the Yakima facility processed more than 50,000 tons of pears annually and was a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest's processing sector. Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said the shutdown caught many growers off guard.
"Growers had to then struggle to find alternate customers," DeVaney said. "If you were a pear grower growing for the canning market, it would create a lot of dislocation."
Contracts were canceled only weeks before harvest, leaving some growers without options. Pears grown for canning are typically smaller and more suitable for peeling and processing, which does not align with consumer expectations for the fresh market. "What is ideal sizing for going into a can is not necessarily the same as what is ideal sizing for fresh consumers," DeVaney explained.
As a result, fruit once destined for cans entered the fresh market, pushing down prices for Bartletts and other varieties. Some growers left 10 to 30 per cent of their crop unharvested because the cost of picking exceeded potential returns.
In Cashmere, grower Alex Lanuza said second-grade pears are now without a market. "For some of our small fruit, or second grade you can call it, it just doesn't have a market, so all that fruit is gonna be trash, it's gonna be wasted," he said.
Industry groups asked for federal assistance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture made emergency purchases of fresh and canned pears, providing temporary relief.
Andrew Sundquist, president of Sundquist Fruit & Cold Storage in Yakima, said the closure came at a difficult time. After one of the smallest crops in decades in 2023, Washington growers harvested nearly 60 per cent more pears in 2024 compared with last year, and more than 10 per cent above 2022.
Del Monte historically handled about two-thirds of Washington and Oregon's canning volume. With its exit, only one major canner remains in the region: Northwest Packing Company in Vancouver, Washington.
The combination of a larger crop and the sudden loss of a processor has swelled supply and pressured prices. Sundquist said growers may be facing some of the largest financial losses in their lifetimes.
Del Monte's assets are reportedly for sale, raising the possibility of a restart under new ownership. For now, growers are considering shifting toward larger fruit for the fresh market or reevaluating their reliance on the processing sector.
"It's good fruit — it's just small fruit," Lanuza said. "But now it's just going to waste."
Source: Yakima Herald-Republic