OXNARD, CA - An ambitious, multifaceted growth strategy is in play for Mission Produce™. As it seeks to maintain consistent supply and quality throughout the Mexican avocado crop transition, the grower has pulled back the curtain on a twofold approach. This includes leveraging its owned Peruvian supply to complement Mexican size availability and leaning into avocado ripening mastery to expertly ripen fruit at various maturity levels.
“At Mission, we offer several competitive advantages to our customers as part of our commitment to world-class service,” said Brooke Becker, Vice President of Sales. “Our stability of supply coupled with our innovative, avocado-specific ripening infrastructure positions us to provide a consistent, year-round supply of avocados ripened to customer specification.”
According to a press release, Mexico’s transition from the Normal to the Flor Loca crop is expected to continue through August, with the market experiencing a lack of size out of Mexico. However, as the grower reports, larger fruit from Peru is helping to balance the size curve. For the 2023 season, Peru anticipates an approximate 16 percent increase in exportable volume, indicating promotional opportunities during the summer months.
As the release went on to note, the current market is presenting fruit of various origins, dry matter levels, and other characteristics, which calls for advanced ripening capabilities. Supporting this category need, Mission’s ripening rooms feature state-of-the-art technology and are managed by ripening specialists in every facility to expertly ripen avocados to the correct stage. The grower’s Avocado Intel report shows that 28 percent of consumers are looking for avocados that are ripe and ready to eat, while 38 percent are looking for avocados to eat in the next two–three days.
“Our custom ripe programs are designed to inspire impulse purchases by appealing to consumer preferences, driving avocado category sales for our customers,” added Becker. “With our strong grower relationships, we source the highest-quality fruit available, and we are masters in the art of ripening to deliver ready-to-eat fruit.”
A demonstration of the provider’s strength in volume and ripening capacity, Mission’s California packhouse alone has 18 ripe rooms with the ability to pack up to 1.2 million pounds of avocados daily.
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