MEXICO - I think it’s safe to say North America’s obsession with avocados is evergreen. With the green fruit only picking up speed in converting more into avo-believers, Catania Worldwide recently expanded its Mexico operations to include avocados to keep up with trends and its own business model.
I had the chance to speak with Andrew Amodeo, Sales, to find out more about Catania Mexico’s avocado certification and what retailers need to know about the company’s deep dive into the new category.
“The demand from our customers and growers for the past couple of years spiked our initial interest in the fruit, and it started to feel natural as we began to look into it more,” Andrew said to me when I asked why the sudden move into avocados. “Avocados also fit into our business model. We are heavily invested in Mexico and have access to preferred growers, facilities, and management that was ready to handle this. If we want to sell, it’s always to our advantage if we can grow, pick, pack, and ship as it gives us control over the process. Not to mention, the retailer gets to deal directly with the grower and packer.”
Catania’s avocados hail from Jalisco and Morelos and are available to buyers and retailers in Canada from October to June. Andrew noted that Catania is especially proud of the quality assurance it gives its customers to ensure the best eating quality avocado around. From the moment the avocado is picked and packed, Catania makes sure only the best product is selected for its Emerald Empire label avocados.
In addition to expanding into avocados, Catania has also taken notice of the recent resurrection of imperfect produce with retailers, distributors, and produce companies alike.
“For too long we have bought with our eyes and kept our focus on appearance, not quality. Avocados, in particular, lend themselves to the imperfect produce category because skin blemishes and other minor imperfections have no bearing on the actual fruit. And the consumer seems to be well aware of this,” Andrew told me, alluding to Catania’s possible imperfect produce offering to come.
Where will Catania head next on its produce empire journey? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on fresh fruit and veg expansions and more.
