Index Fresh offers Colombian avocados for second season

Riverside, Calif.-based Index Fresh will bring Colombian avocados to the U.S. market for a second season.

“Colombia represents an opportunity to diversify the supply of hass avocados in the United States,” Giovanni Cavaletto, vice president of sourcing, said in a news release.

After 20 years of avocado volumes growing more than 10% every year, with Mexico’s exports fueling that growth, supplies are starting to stabilize. Volumes from Colombia will be low in the near-term but will grow significantly over the next three to five seasons, according to the release.

Index Fresh has been building relationships with growers in Colombia since 2012-13. A 2017 rule allowed Colombian hass avocados to be imported into the U.S.

“The groves are very young and the number of groves certified for the U.S. is relatively low,” Cavaletto said in the release, but proximity to U.S. markets will allow shipments to arrive at key U.S. reports in less than a week.

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