Lutron Founder Shares Love of Asian Pear

While on a business trip to Japan in 1973, Lutron founder Joel Spira was bestowed a gift of an Asian pear, or Subarashii Kudamono, which means "wonderful fruit" in Japanese. Immediately enchanted with its flavor, Mr. Spira was determined to get more. After returning to Japan, he discovered it was quite difficult to obtain the fruit. Undaunted by the challenge, he endeavored to grow his own, and that's exactly what he did.



Back in Pennsylvania, Joe’s wife Ruth joined him in the effort to create new and unique varieties of Asian pears. They worked with experts from the US and Eastern Asia and soon had begun their own orchard situated in the fertile Lehigh Valley.

Now, the orchard has thousands of trees with many varieties of Asian Pears, though none is known to be better than the Subarashii Kudamono.

Taste it for yourself this Thursday at Lutron’s winter holidays celebration from 5:30 to 8pm and check out the orchard website and order some for the holidays!

Photo credit in text; http://fruitguys.com/