In an effort to address both the extraordinary opportunities and the extraordinary challenges the industry faces, the Hass Avocado Board, with industry participation, has developed BOLD: The Hass Avocado Industry Board Leadership Development Program. Helping the industry face an increasingly complex marketplace with sophisticated problem-solvers, BOLD is designed to develop emerging leaders who are both motivated and equipped to meet those opportunities and challenges. “This is the first program of its kind for the avocado industry and we’ve received enthusiastic and unanimous support from our

Marking a year of striving forward and strengthening synergies since Oppy acquired a 65 percent stake in Eco Farms last spring, the duo is now bringing California avocados — branded in the new Eco Farms label — to the market, celebrating the unification of the two companies. Eco Farms brings nearly five decades of focus on avocados, combining with Oppy’s 163-year history as a premier grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce from around the world to construct a strategic partnership with 360-degree capabilities. Offering high-quality organic and conventional fruit from such diverse

As avocado demand continues to rise and retailers look forward to Cinco de Mayo and summer sales boosts, growing Mexican players in the marketplace offer additional options to meet supply. “Over the past two decades, U.S. demand for avocados has increased significantly,” said Arturo Larios, managing director of La Casa del Aguacate in Westlake Village, CA. “Just since 2001 per capita consumption has tripled according to USDA statistics. With this increased consumption comes the need for more sourcing options.” Meeting the increasing needs of the marketplace with flexibility is precisely the

Spring is an exciting time of the year for the team at New Limeco LLC, because that’s when South Florida’s tropical fruit season starts to kick in. “Everybody is about to start growing now,” said Jorge Leon, operations manager of the Homestead, FL-based company. “We’re getting ready for the summer crop of different types of dragon fruit that grow here, the different varieties of mango, and locally grown papaya. Obviously, our main crop is the avocado and that will start in June and run for about 10 to 11 months. Now that we’re in spring, a lot of this Florida fruit will start growing in the

After most of the 2020-21 winter saw big volumes of avocados on the market and relatively low f.o.b. prices, spring has brought a slight easing on the volume, which has been accompanied by very strong pricing. The run-up to the always-avocado-centric Cinco de Mayo, which is a feasting holiday in the United States celebrating Mexico’s history, has seen good volume and solid f.o.b. prices that are not expected to abate in the foreseeable future. “We have a very strong market in the upper $40s,” Rob Wedin, executive vice president of sales for Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, said in mid

The California Department of Food and Agriculture recently completed a state-mandated referendum vote that determined the California Avocado Commission is approved to continue in operation for the next five years. By law, a continuation vote among eligible commercial California avocado producers must be held every five years. This year’s voting results showed that 75 percent of voting producers support continuation of CAC for another five years, well above the legally required percentage. This is the ninth reaffirming referendum since the establishment of the California Avocado Commission in