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.
Peruvian avocado promotions usually run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but this year they kicked off on Father’s Day, June 17.
Promotable volume should be available through September, Equihua said.
Quality this year has been excellent, he added.
While some growers in northern Peru had wrapped up their shipments to the U.S. for the year by late July, some in the Lima area were just getting started, he said.
He estimated at that time that Peru had about half its U.S. fruit remaining to be shipped.
“The U.S. market still has a lot of Peruvian volume to receive,” he said.
It’s good that plenty of Peruvian avocados will be available in September, he said, since California will be winding down at that time and Mexico will be transitioning to a new crop.
Some Peruvian avocados already were showing up in California supermarkets at the end of July, Equihua said.
Peru is expected to ship 160 million pounds of avocados to the U.S. this year, up from 140 million pounds last year.
The Peruvian Avocado Commission will continue to conduct promotions until the end of September, he said, including some in Texas, where the commission has partnered with San Antonio-based H-E-B.
Promotions are ongoing with other major retailers as well, including Ahold banners and Walmart.
The commission is working with Major League Baseball and ran TV spots during the MLB All-Star Game July 17 and during the 2018 FIFA World Cup broadcast.
The commission also conducted a “hugely successful” promotion with California walnuts, Equihua said.
That promotion included in-store demos at 1,900 Walmart locations on Walmart Wellness Day, July 21.
