The 2022 California avocado season is a wrap for Index Fresh, which says this year brought avocado growers six months of record pricing and returns on their fruit, while consumers of California avocados enjoyed “excellent quality fruit that was available early and often.”
More than 275 million pounds of California avocados were harvested in 2022, and Index Fresh’s growers fetched a 67% higher return over 2021, said the company.
“This avocado season was an unrivaled success for Index Fresh customers and growers,” said Keith Blanchard, California Field Manager for Index Fresh, in a release. “The only thing more satisfying than eating a California avocado in 2022 was growing a California avocado in 2022.”
The season started early and ended early, with California coming out of the gate with good quality avocados. This gave retailers confidence to step in with the assurance of steady supply, said Index Fresh.
Proving important to market stability, California’s harvest helped to buoy U.S. avocado supplies when Mexico’s harvest was light throughout late-winter and the spring of 2022, said the company. The two suppliers complemented each other in the market, with California producing smaller early season fruit, while Mexico harvested its later season mid- and large-sized fruit.
“Year over year, as retail, club stores and foodservice customers seek to diversify their countries of origin for avocado supplies, California has always, and will continue to be a strong, high-quality source for them to rely on season after season,” said Debbie Willmann, Index Fresh director of sales.
The early harvest in 2022 came as a relief to California avocado growers who were able to conserve water by picking before the hottest summer temperatures, said the company. By the time the September heatwave hit, Index Fresh growers had wrapped up their harvest, averting the risk of losing 2022’s precious crop to prolonged high temperatures.
“In some years, we face less favorable market conditions, or we witness extreme heat, cold or wind that reduce the available volume of California fruit. In 2022, however, the stars aligned with ideal market conditions and mild weather conditions. Our growers had a phenomenal year,” said Blanchard.
Index Fresh is a global marketer of avocados, sourcing from major growing regions around the world, including California, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia. As a grower-owned corporation, Index Fresh says it relies on its well-developed, decades-old grower networks in all its sourcing regions. Headquartered in California, the company has facilities across Texas, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Colorado and Illinois.
