1. the main market for the pears is china, so they have to go there anyway 2. pears need a week-plus to ripen after being harvested, preferably in cool conditions 3. giant cargo ships are actually ridiculously fuel-efficient per lb of cargo 4. the ocean journey is almost the perfect amount of time for the pears to ripen, so they arrive in thailand ready to be processed 5. it's very cheap to pack the pears in thailand, and they'll be fresher for their main market
Canada