USA Pears Announces Official Start of Harvest Season with New Spokesperson, Actress Amy Smart

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2018 harvest of Northwest grown pears, hand-picked and hand-packed with care by Pacific Northwest growers, is now available in grocery stores. Starting in early August with the picking of Bartlett and Starkrimson pears, the harvest season will last through late September with remaining varieties including Anjou, Bosc and Comice. This year's harvest is estimated to yield 900 million pounds of pears from Washington's Wenatchee and Yakima districts and Oregon's Mid-Columbia and Medford districts.

Consumers have plenty of reasons to rejoice over this year's bounty of perfectly delicious pears. "Providing quality pears is our top priority and this year is no different. Shoppers can expect to find excellent quality pears from the Pacific Northwest this year," stated Kevin Moffitt, President and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest.

The start of harvest season also kicks off actress Amy Smart's new role as official spokesperson for USA Pears. Known for her roles in hit films like Just Friends and The Butterfly Effect, and her upcoming role in Tyson's Run, Smart has also established herself as a trusted voice of sustainable living and healthy eating– even tending her own garden at home.

"Knowing where my food comes from is one of my highest priorities, and when I visited the Pacific Northwest to see the harvest for myself I was incredibly inspired by the pride and dedication of the pear growers," says Smart. "Harvest time is a special time, and I'm so happy I could see the start of this year's pear crop before it made its way to stores."

Smart will be working with USA Pears throughout the 2018-19 pear season to share her favorite pear-inspired recipes, featuring many of the ten varieties of pears, as well as important tips on how to enjoy pears to the fullest.

Be sure to follow along with USA Pears and Amy Smart throughout the year to see and learn more about pears.

About Pear Bureau Northwest
The Pear Bureau Northwest was established in 1931 as a nonprofit marketing organization to promote the fresh pears grown in Oregon and Washington. Today, the United States is the third largest pear-producing country in the world, and Oregon and Washington comprise the nation's largest pear growing region with 900 growers producing 88% of all fresh pears grown in the United States. Pears grown in these two Pacific Northwest states are distributed under the "USA Pears" brand. Pears are an excellent source of fiber (24% DV) and a good source of vitamin C (10% DV) for only 100 calories per medium sized pear. Sweet and juicy with no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol, pears are a perfect choice for a snack as well as of any meal of the day. For more information, visit www.usapears.org, www.facebook.com/USApears, and follow @USApears on Twitter.

About Amy Smart
After steady appearances as Alison on the television series Justified, Amy Smart can most recently be seen recurring on the hit CBS series MacGyver. Before that she appeared in the Lifetime Original film Sister Cities, alongside actresses Troian Bellisario, Stana Katic and Michelle Trachtenberg. She has several projects that are scheduled to come out next year including Tyson's Run with Rory Cochrane and Barkhad Abdi, and Brawler with Zach McGowan.

Outside of her acting career, Smart has been involved with a variety of philanthropic organizations. She was a speaker for Heal the Bay, an organization that works on cleaning up the ocean, for seven years. She was also previously named one of "Organic Style" magazine's "Women with Organic Style". The award is given to women who do inspiring things, making the world a better place. She presently sits on the board of directors for both the Environmental Media Association and Heal the Bay. She continues to work with the environmental advocacy groups Environment California and Best Friends Animal Society.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Caitlin Cecala
(503) 471-6829
[email protected]

SOURCE USA Pears

Related Links

http://www.usapears.org