Colombian Hass avocados brings to the US market due to partnership with Index Fresh

Index Fresh, U.S. avocado marketer, announced the partnership with growers in Colombia to bring their Hass variety to the U.S. market. The Hass industry in Colombia is young and dynamic, with very few trees over ten years old. The country expected to be a year-round producer of Hass avocado in the next few years.

Index Fresh first visited Colombia in 2012-2013 as an up-and-coming producer for Hass. The country has a rich avocado heritage and is a large producer and consumer of West Indian avocado varieties. More recently, growers have begun planting Hass at the higher elevations to gain access to export markets.

The rule allowing import of Colombian Hass avocados into the USA was approved in August 2017 as the demand for avocados continues to grow globally.

Giovanni Cavaletto, Vice President of Sourcing at Index Fresh, said, “Working with growers in Colombia allows to fulfill company's mission of supplying high quality avocados to customers, while building network of grower partnerships.”

Colombia's location near the equator allows avocado trees to bloom multiple times throughout the year. In addition, orchards grown at different altitudes contributes to a year-round supply of high quality fruit. The grower-owned avocado marketer centers its early shipments from Colombia in two blocks: June-August and November-February. Besides the ability to produce fruit almost all year round in the future, Colombia's proximity to the U.S. market (4-11 days depending on the port of entry) is also a distinctive and advantageous factor.

“Index Fresh has been working on these relationships since 2012. Our focus has been on learning the needs, challenges, and objectives of the growers and work to match these with those of the market,” added Giovanni Cavaletto.

Index Fresh is a worldwide marketer of avocados, sourcing from all major growing regions around the globe, including California, Peru, Chile, Mexico and Colombia. Headquartered in California, the company has facilities spread across Texas, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Colorado, and Illinois.

Visit company’s website for more information on the Colombia program.