Avocados From Mexico celebrates 10 years, launch of AVOLAB innovation center

IRVING, Texas — Avocados are a rising star in the food world, and Avocados From Mexico has put its own brand on the fruit’s explosive rise.

The nonprofit marketing group for Mexican avocados celebrated the expansion of its chef innovation center and AFM's 10-year anniversary at an Oct. 3 media event at the group’s headquarters on the eighth floor of a high-rise office building.

Featuring entertainment and avocado-themed food and drinks, the event was attended by AFM staff and perhaps a dozen journalists representing trade and consumer media outlets.

AFM will continue the celebration of its 10-year anniversary at the International Fresh Produce Association Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, Calif., Oct. 19-21.

“If you go back and see what we have done in in 10 years is, it's pretty amazing,” Alvaro Luque, president and CEO of Avocados From Mexico, said in an onsite interview with The Packer. “We've been able to develop a brand in an industry that sometimes still doesn’t believe in brands, and we’ve created this brand that is not only a Super Bowl staple right now, but we've been able to double the market.”

Mexican avocados create more than $11 billion in economic output, and Avocados From Mexico has contributed to the ascension of the fruit through its marketing efforts and providing resources to chefs to experiment with avocados.

Related: More photos from Avocados From Mexico's AVOLAB innovation center celebration

AFM has invited chefs to its headquarters for six years but has now expanded the resources for chefs and christened the innovation center as its AVOLAB.

“In the end, I am a true believer that good marketing is associated with good experiences, and we what have [here] is a place where you can come in, be creative, be innovative and play around with approaches to create great business," Luque said.

The Avocados From Mexico innovation center in Dallas has had over 500 professionals come through for training, and the group has certified more than 130 chefs on-site and 3,000 retail and foodservice professionals online through its online education program, called Avocado University.

Avocados From Mexico has a close partnership with brand ambassador and celebrity chef Pati Jinich. Jinich is well known for the public television series Pati's Mexican Table and is the author of several cookbooks.

Luque said Jinich has Mexican roots and is a Latino success story, a path that resonates with the Avocados From Mexico brand.

Luque worked with Jinich when he was a marketing executive at Mission Foods.

“When I came to Avocados From Mexico, it was one of the first things that I did to bring Pati in, because Pati represents exactly what we are: a Latino success story in the U.S," he said.

In remarks at the Oct. 3 event, Jinich said she was honored to share the story of Mexican avocados. She said the past 10 years have demonstrated that Mexican avocados are versatile, adaptable and accessible, and they can enrich any cuisine.

Avocados From Mexico will have a big presence at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, Luque said, including a two-story, 50-by-60-foot booth on the expo floor. The IFPA show is effective for Avocados From Mexico, he said.

“Last year, we had more than 60 retailers with us meeting on site,” he said. This year, Avocados From Mexico also will host a media event in Anaheim to launch its 10th anniversary celebration, he said.