Juicy Jewel®

Juicy Jewel® (MN121 cultivar) is a pear cultivar from the renowned fruit breeding program at the University of Minnesota. Its crisp, yet juicy texture, disease resistance, and early harvest date will make it a popular choice for Northern growers.

Juicy Jewel® marks the University’s 5th pear and the first Asian type. Unlike European pears, which ripen to a soft, creamy texture, Asian pears are known for their crisp, apple-like texture. The tree produces attractive oval to elliptical fruit with yellow-green skin and the occasional orange-pink blush.

Taste-wise, Juicy Jewel® fruit is sweet with mild tropical overtones and is ready to harvest by mid-August in central Minnesota. It can be picked ripe for immediate consumption and may be stored for two to three months when refrigerated.

Juicy Jewel® has proven to be winter hardy in USDA Zone 4 and relatively free of disease when grown at the UMN Horticultural Research Center in central Minnesota. The tree should be planted in combination with another pear variety to ensure cross pollination and optimum fruit production.

Tree Availability

Juicy Jewel® has been released to nurseries for propagation, and commercial growers and garden centers may now begin placing tree orders for delivery in 2022 and 2023.

Juicy Jewel® has been released as an “open variety” (tree royalty only) which means that growers may purchase trees directly from nurseries that are licensed to propagate and sell Juicy Jewel™ pear trees by the University of Minnesota. Nurseries that are interested in obtaining a license to propagate and sell Juicy Jewel® trees should contact Adam Bolton ([email protected]) in the U of M Office of Technology Commercialization.

The following nurseries are currently licensed to propagate and sell Juicy Jewel® trees:

Consumers will need to wait to get their first bite of Juicy Jewel® as it takes several years for newly planted trees to bear fruit. But those interested in growing their own pears can purchase this new variety as it becomes available at local nurseries and garden centers over the next several years.


Juicy Jewel® is a registered trademark of the University of Minnesota.