Anyone associated with Michigan pears will tell you that, small though the state's industry might be, it wouldn't exist without Gerber. The iconic baby food maker began purchasing pears from Michigan growers not long after it was founded in 1927, andit has been purchasing the majority of the state's crop for decades.That pattern didn't change after food giant Nestle acquired Gerber in 2007, and today Gerber/Nestie wants to be the future of Michigan pears, too — or at least fund the research that puts that future on a solid footing."Michigan pears have been a good fit for us for a long time," said Drew Afton, an agronomist with Gerber/ Nestle. "We don't see a reason to change."
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