Social media memes of the plump, pear-shaped avocado cartoon figure lifting weights or telling itself in the mirror that it’s the “good kind of fat” parallel the Health at Every Size movement.
If the whole point of the Peruvian Avocado Commission is to get more people to eat more avocados from Peru, then promoting the pear-shaped, mild-tasting, buttery fruit is of utmost importance.
Medium and large companies grow Peruvian avocados year-round along the coastal regions of the long South American country, while small farms are nestled in the mountains.
While avocados have been around since before written history, the commercial export of the fruit to the U.S. is relatively new. Here’s a timeline of notable events in the U.S.-Peru avocado relationship.
For U.S. shoppers who read their sticker labels, they’ll start to notice their hass avocados are more likely from Peru rather than Mexico now through September.
The core of the Peruvian avocado season will be from June into September for Fallbrook, Calif.-based Del Rey Avocado Co., said Donny Lucy, vice president of procurement and East Coast sales.
Strict food safety measures have been implemented as Peruvian avocado producers prepare to pack and ship up to 200 million pounds of high-quality fruit to the U.S. between June and September.
For years, avocado suppliers have been implementing ripening programs and encouraging retailers to offer fruit that shoppers can enjoy right away or within a couple of days.
Sales of bagged avocados seem to have taken off since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and suppliers of Peruvian fruit say there are a couple of reasons why.
Xavier Equihua and the Washington, D.C.-based Peruvian Avocado Commission have earned a reputation for innovation when it comes to promoting avocados from Peru.
A late start for Peruvian avocados this summer means shippers should be able to stretch supplies into October, said Xavier Equihua, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Peruvian Avocado Commission.
Annual volumes of Peruvian avocados exported to the U.S. have trended upward — from 20 million pounds in 2011-12 to a peak of 142 million in 2014-15, with record volumes expected this season.
