03/14/06 Snack Bars

Tasty, nutritious and a boost to the fruit growing industry. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Biting into a fruit bar may not make you think you are helping the local Ag economy but in one company's case, you most definitely are. Gorge Delights of Hood River, Oregon started off with a pear product. Gary Willis, co-owner and President of Gorge Delights explains. WILLIS: Nobody was doing a fresh sliced pear and us again being pear growers decided that's what we wanted to try to do and so we started about four years ago now slicing fruit and pears was one of the ones we concentrated on. Willis and his partners then got in touch with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Albany, California where they worked with Tara McHugh to increase their product shelf life. ARS had recently developed a way of turning pears into a value added product. Gorge Delights workers had to create much of the machinery used from scratch. WILLIS: A lot of the stuff had to be custom made. Some of it I could buy shelf type stuff but a lot of the things we had to learn and go. Apple bars are the newest addition to the line of all natural products and are made from apple puree that is mixed with apple concentrate before being shaped. The all natural products have drawn the attention of several neutraceutical companies and Willis has recently signed an agreement for distribution. WILLIS: Then here just about a year ago now we signed an agreement with a large company based in New York that has gotten the exclusive rights to our bar and is going to market it throughout the U.S. So the next time you grab a snack bar, you might just be helping out fruit growers here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm Greg Martin and that's today's Fruit Grower Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.