Jumilla pears

The origin of this fruit dates back to the 16th century during the reign of Philip II. In the mid-1960s, the Ercolini variant began to be intensively developed, obtaining the Denomination of Origin: the Jumilla pear.

The reason for its explosive development was due to a combination of positive factors, including the ease of transportation that developed in the region after the 1950s.

Likewise, the application of irrigation systems, as well as the appearance of new and important regional aquifers, resulted in a veritable boom in all cultivable areas within Jumilla.

Thanks to these factors and the drive and hard work throughout the region, in a short time Jumilla generated great wealth that helped to expand its dimensions and even create new districts and nearby towns dedicating themselves to large-scale fruit and vegetable production.

A quality product

One of the reasons why the Jumilla pear has become so well known is because, thanks to its very particular microclimate, reddish shell fruits have been obtained. They are the product of the intense sun of the region, with a very high degree of sugar. This translates into a delicious flavour and a very particular hardness, earliness and size.

Another main reason is the agro-industrial techniques that respect the ecosystem and the environment, with the maintenance of soil quality thanks to tillage and weed mowing allowing for the use of low-impact systemic herbicides for the local fauna and flora.

Irrigation, for example, is essential because the water can be distributed using ridges throughout the entire plot and using the drip technique. These two combined irrigation systems make a difference when it comes to hydrating the soil.

Another important variant is manual thinning and pruning using tendents to obtain an efficient and effective balance between production and vegetation, as well as essential sunlight penetration to obtain high-quality fruit.

The harvest season is another factor responsible for the high quality of this pear variant, as it obtains its level of earliness starting at the end of June, just at the ideal maturity level.

A treasure of flavours

To obtain these parameters of colour, hardness and high sugar levels, a manual harvest period is needed in two batches, with the hours of greatest intensity in the sun's rays deliberately avoided.

Said collection is carried out by pulling the fruit very delicately, pressing exactly at the intersection and pulling upwards to prevent the peduncle from getting hurt.

In the same way, the transport in clean and disinfected wooden pallets is carried out during a maximum journey of eight to ten hours to protect the fruits from the sun.

The conditioning and packaging of the Jumilla pear are carried out in warehouses or farms within the previously defined geographical area, to safeguard the control, quality and traceability of the pear.

When the fruit arrives at the warehouse, the departure of the pears is determined.

They are identified from reception to packaging in record books directly from the plot of origin, the name of the producer and the date of entry.

The quality of Jumilla pears

After entering the warehouse, Jumilla pears are weighed and quality control samples are taken.

Once it has been verified that the product meets all the required standards, the fruits are transferred to conventional cold rooms with a controlled atmosphere.

Finally, the Jumilla pears are subjected to a post-harvest process with a special treatment completely free of chemicals.

As we can see, the fame earned by Jumilla pears is not free; it is the product of hard work whose reward is an authentic treasure of flavours of the highest quality.