Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service

What Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service does

Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service (PNCPS) is a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) research and promotion program organized in July 1996 to promote the consumption of Bartlett pears grown and processed in Oregon and Washington. It is headquartered in Yakima, Washington, with administrative operations managed by the Washington State Fruit Commission, and is funded through per-ton assessments on fruit delivered to local processors rather than through product sales. The organization represents more than 1,400 family farms across Washington and Oregon whose Bartlett pears are processed into canned halves, slices, or dices by three core processor partners: Del Monte, Neil Jones Food Company, and Pacific Coast Producers.

PNCPS operates as a demand-generation marketing body rather than a product company. Its core "product" is the Pacific Northwest Canned Bartlett Pear, positioned as the only type of pear commercially canned in the USA. Supporting offerings include the annual CAN DO Challenge culinary competition for non-commercial foodservice professionals, the quarterly Ripe 'n Ready Times newsletter, an extensive recipe library segmented for K-12, foodservice, and family audiences, and free downloadable resource materials for schools and foodservice operators. Go-to-market reaches K-12 school nutrition programs (including through the USDA Commodity Program), non-commercial foodservice operators (hospitals, universities, restaurants), and consumer households via major retailers and a digital presence spanning eatcannedpears.com, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and X/Twitter.

The business model is industry-funded and non-commercial: per-ton assessments on processed fruit finance marketing, research, and promotion activities, with no direct product pricing, no public revenue disclosure, and no proprietary technology platform. The organization is embedded in a network of industry and professional associations (School Nutrition Association, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, NACUFS, Canned Food Alliance, Produce for Better Health Foundation) that amplify its institutional reach. The stated competitive differentiator is the unique heirloom Bartlett variety, regional growing conditions near the Columbia River, the USA-grown positioning, and a content library developed over decades of category promotion.

Name

Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service

Legal name

Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service

Website

https://eatcannedpears.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service is a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service research and promotion program that funds marketing, research, and demand generation for Bartlett pears grown and processed in Oregon and Washington by more than 1,400 family farms and three major processors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Marketing and Commodity Promotion

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Canned & Jarred Fruit & Vegetable Processing (Canning, Bottling) (AFAKAFAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural marketing services
• Canned pear promotion
• Commodity checkoff programs
• Foodservice recipe development
• K-12 school nutrition resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Yakima

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. USDA AMS Assessment Program: PNCPS is a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) research and promotion oversight program funded through assessments per ton on fruit delivered to local processors. This funds marketing programs, market development, research, and promotion activities for Bartlett pears grown in Oregon and Washington.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service is a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) research and promotion program that markets and promotes Pacific Northwest canned Bartlett pears grown and processed in Oregon and Washington. The organization funds marketing programs, market development, research, and promotion activities through per-ton assessments on fruit delivered to local processors from more than 400 family farms, reaching customers via foodservice distributors, major retailers, and the USDA Commodity Program.

Product overview

Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service (PNCPS) is a marketing organization funded by Bartlett pear growers and processors in Oregon and Washington. The organization promotes the consumption of canned Bartlett pears, which is the only type of pear commercially canned in the USA. PNCPS offers a unified portfolio centered on its core product—Pacific Northwest Canned Bartlett Pears—alongside supporting programs including the annual CAN DO Challenge culinary competition, the Ripe 'n Ready Times quarterly newsletter, and resource materials for K-12 schools and foodservice operators. The recipe collection serves as a key promotional vehicle, providing family-friendly, foodservice, and school nutrition recipes that showcase canned pears as a versatile ingredient. The organization is administered by the Washington State Fruit Commission and operates under USDA Agricultural Marketing Service oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pacific Northwest Canned Bartlett Pears

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Del MontecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor canned pear processor producing Pacific Northwest canned Bartlett pears under Del Monte brand.
• Neil Jones Food CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanned pear processor operating in the Pacific Northwest region, processing Bartlett pears for the canned market.
• Pacific Coast ProducerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Northwest canned pear processor with facilities in the growing region.
• Washington State Fruit CommissioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministrative operations of PNCPS are managed by the Washington State Fruit Commission.
• School Nutrition AssociationminorOthersIndustry affiliation supporting school nutrition professionals who use canned pears in meal programs.
• Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsminorOthersProfessional organization of dietitians supporting nutrition education and canned pear promotion.
• National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS)minorOthersAssociation supporting college and university food service operations using canned pears.
• USDA Food & Nutrition ServiceminorOthersUSDA program through which K-12 schools and food banks access canned pears via Commodity Program.
• Canned Food AllianceminorOthersIndustry alliance promoting canned foods including canned pears.
• Produce for Better Health FoundationminorOthersProduce industry organization supporting fruit and vegetable consumption including canned pears.
• Association of Foodservice Nutrition ProfessionalsminorOthersProfessional association for foodservice nutrition experts supporting canned pear usage.
• American Commodities Distribution AssociationminorOthersAssociation supporting commodity food distribution programs including canned pears for schools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pear Bureau Northwest (USA Pears): The Pacific Northwest fresh pear industry marketing organization, structurally the closest peer to PNCPS: same grower region, same crop family, parallel checkoff-style funding model, and an analogous mission of promoting pear consumption. PNCPS handles canned pears while USA Pears handles fresh, making them sister commodity promotion boards.
• Northwest Horticultural Council: Trade body representing Pacific Northwest tree-fruit growers (including pears) on regulatory, trade, and promotion matters. Closely aligned with PNCPS's grower base and industry-funded governance, with overlapping stakeholder set and a shared Yakima/Wenatchee operational geography.
• National Peach Council: National commodity promotion organization for peaches. Comparable to PNCPS as a USDA-style checkoff/promotion board operating on a single stone fruit, with similar GTM toward foodservice and retail demand generation.
• Cranberry Institute: Industry organization promoting cranberries, with similar marketing, nutrition research, and foodservice GTM motion to PNCPS. Both target health-conscious consumers and K-12/commodity program channels and operate under the broader umbrella of specialty crop promotion.
• National Cherry Growers & Industries Foundation: Industry promotion and research organization for tart cherries. Comparable to PNCPS in mission (single-commodity demand creation), funding mechanism (grower/processor assessments), and target buyers (foodservice, K-12, retail).
• California Pear Growers: Promotion and grower representation body for California pears. Direct functional peer to PNCPS: same commodity (Bartlett pears historically), parallel grower-funded marketing mandate, and overlapping processor customers such as Del Monte.
• Wild Blueberry Association of North America: Promotion body for wild blueberries with a near-identical model to PNCPS: single-fruit focus, grower-funded, marketing-driven demand generation through nutrition messaging and foodservice recipe development.
• Washington Apple Commission: Industry promotion organization for Washington apples, sharing PNCPS's Pacific Northwest grower base, Yakima-area operational overlap, and USDA-style industry funding model. Comparable in mandate (commodity promotion) and stakeholder profile (family farms, processors, retailers).

Broad incumbents

• Canned Food Alliance: Broader industry alliance that promotes the canned food category as a whole, and is explicitly listed as a PNCPS partner. Functionally adjacent: PNCPS drives demand for canned pears while CFA defends the canned format against fresh and frozen competitors.
• Almond Board of California: One of the most established USDA AMS research and promotion programs for a single specialty crop. PNCPS operates under the same USDA AMS oversight framework and shares the assessment-funded marketing model, but Almond Board is far larger in scale and budget.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eatcannedpears
• Facebookfacebook.com/EatCannedPears
• Instagraminstagram.com/eatcannedpears
• Pinterestpinterest.com/eatcannedpears
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-northwest-canned-pear-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service