Though the avocado market has experienced numerous events that have led to some unsettled times over the first seven months of the year, Peter Shore, vice president of production management for Calavo Growers Inc., Santa Paula, CA, is anticipating a steady marketing situation for the remainder of 2024. However, he did note that change is constant and outside factors could alter those expectations. But surveying the situation in late July, Shore noted that both California and Peru were seeing their weekly shipments quickly decline. Mexico will have the market to itself during the last four

Amanda Horney and Olivia Avellaneda, the dynamic sister team leading KickHass Avocados’ sales, are gearing up for a promising new season. They officially joined the organization as sales managers in June and have been instrumental in selling the KickHass brand since Founder Felipe Perez began importing Mexican avocados into the United States. “My sister and I are thrilled to offer this KickHass brand directly to our domestic market. KickHass Avocados offers both conventional and organic fruit in bags and bulk,” Horney said. “Single layer or double layer, we can custom pack to meet our

With a new hire handling its sustainability effort, including food safety and ethical certifications at the grower level, GLC Cerritos Inc. is poised for solid growth as it moves into its third season as the U.S. based sales firm for Grupo Aguacatero Los Cerritos. “Our 3,000 acres in Jalisco have been GlobalGap and Rainforest Alliance certified for the last decade,” said GLC President, Giovanni Cavaletto. “And now our orchards destined for the U.S. market are also Fair Trade Certified.” The certifications do make a difference to a certain demographic of U.S. consumers, but just as important

The U.S. avocado marketing situation has been a bit unsettled through spring and summer as buyers and sellers had to deal with several unanticipated curveballs. Mexico’s ongoing drought, which finally seemed to end in June, led to a smaller size curve than what is typically expected. Climatic conditions in Peru led to a much smaller crop than expected and smaller fruit than expected. And on the other end of the spectrum, California growers and handlers ultimately marketed a crop that was 50 percent larger than the preseason estimate. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended

Though the U.S. market remains the primary focus for the marketing and distribution of its avocados, Oxnard, CA-based Mission Produce sees plenty of opportunities for growth in other parts of the world. “We have our eyes set on the potential offered by under-indexed regions, such as Asia and Europe,” said Brooke Becker, vice president of sales. “We’ve invested in state-of-the-art infrastructure in key markets around the world to stay on top of global demand trends and drive the consumption of avocados globally.” Becker’s optimism is based on low per capita consumption levels in those

Mission Produce Inc. released insights on the thriving category performance of organic avocados in the U.S. ahead of the Organic Produce Summit in Monterey, CA, July 10-11. “Rising demand for organic produce continues to elevate the importance of a strong organic category for retailers across the nation,” said Megan Berenbach, director of sales. “As the volume growth of organic produce continues to outpace that of conventional, Mission Produce remains the go-to source for fresh, organically grown avocados. With a reliable year-round supply and nationwide distribution, we’re supporting our