TAIWAN

Feedback from the Trade on Their Plans and Interest in the USA Pear Season:

Importers had quality problems with Starkrimson arrivals early this season, with product rejections from retail channels due to failing quality inspections; this situation has significantly affected their confidence in handling USA Pears. PBNW-Taiwan communicated with the importer to understand the reasons behind the high spoilage rates. Importer reported that Starkrimson’s quality was extremely unstable this season. In some cases, the fruit arrived within acceptable loss ranges, but in more than 70% of cases, Starkrimson deteriorated rapidly within 2-3 days after arrival, and the spoilage spread quickly among the fruit. Therefore, the importer was eager to understand the cause. Under the same storage and cold-chain handling conditions, the newly arrived Anjou pears have shown relatively good and stable quality. However, since Anjou have only just begun arriving in the market, further feedback is needed to evaluate their on-shelf performance and sales trends. On October 27, pre-packaged Anjou pears were introduced at Costco at NT$199 per bag (10 pieces, 1.8 kg), and the quality performance was reported to be very good.

Expectations for Any Freight or Logistics Challenges:

Importers indicated that cold storage and cold-chain transportation procedures were closely monitored and well maintained. However, despite these precautions, Starkrimson still could not maintain quality.

Opportunities in Your Market for Specific Varieties, Sizes, and Grades:

Red and Green Anjou remain the primary varieties of interest in the Taiwan market this season. The most preferred size continued to be #110.

Update on the Competition in the Market:

A wide assortment of fruits remains available in the Taiwan market, providing consumers with many alternatives.

Political or Economic Issues Impacting Imports, Retail, or Consumer Behavior:

No significant updates reported this month.

Other Brief Comments:

In-store sampling for Starkrimson had been arranged; however, the quality issues caused considerable difficulties for retailers. Once the distribution of Anjou pears stabilizes, PBNW-Taiwan will continue coordinating promotional activities with retail partners. For World Pear Day on December 6, PBNW-Taiwan has already initiated coordination with retailers and is planning in-store promotional events to enhance consumer awareness of USA Pears and stimulate purchase interest.