Colombia Avocado Board Brings a Fresh Taste of Colombia to IFPA; Manuel Michel Shares

ORLANDO, FL - Five years into its IFPA Global presence, the Colombia Avocado Board (CAB) has plenty more to bring to the table. As Avocados from Colombia continue building their place in the U.S. market, the Board is heading into this year’s show ready to talk retail partnerships, year-round availability, growing export capabilities, and the next chapter of its story.

And at Booth #3585, CAB is bringing a little piece of Colombia along with it. Attendees will step into a modern Colombian café surrounded by panoramic orchard imagery, where they can grab a cup of Colombian-grown coffee and connect with the CAB team about the role Colombian avocados can play within the U.S. supply mix.

“Most importantly, we're looking forward to continuing conversations with retailers about how CAB can support their avocado programs,” Manuel Michel, Managing Director of the Colombia Avocado Board, shared. “Every retailer has different needs, and our goal is to be a collaborative partner, helping retailers incorporate Colombian avocados into their programs, tell the story at shelf and create opportunities to connect with shoppers.”

Five Years and Counting

The 2026 show marks CAB’s fifth consecutive year representing Avocados from Colombia at IFPA Global, and the organization is using the occasion to showcase just how much has changed during that time. Retailers are incorporating Colombian avocados into their mixes more frequently, according to CAB, while relationships, infrastructure, and market development continue progressing behind the scenes.

Colombia’s ability to produce avocados throughout the year is an important part of that conversation, giving buyers a complementary origin that can work alongside other avocado sources.

“CAB’s role is to help build that bridge between the Colombian avocado industry and the U.S. marketplace through education, marketing support and collaboration,” Michel explained. “That's the momentum we're most excited to continue building at IFPA.”

That bridge is getting some additional infrastructure behind it as well.

Three avocado packing facilities have come online in Colombia this year, increasing packing and export capacity while advancing quality assurance and cold-chain capabilities. The completion of the Port of Antioquia has also created a closer export route from important growing regions, with the potential to reduce transit times into U.S. markets.

For CAB, those developments add another layer to the conversations it plans to have with buyers at IFPA: not simply where Colombian avocados are today, but where the origin can fit strategically into supply plans throughout the year.

Raising the Story

The show floor won’t be the only place attendees get a taste of what CAB has been working on. The board is sponsoring the IFPA General Session Lunch on October 14, where attendees will be among the first to see its Raised by Colombia video and hear more about the campaign’s next chapter.

The storytelling component goes hand in hand with CAB’s larger retail strategy. Beyond discussing supply, the organization wants to work with retailers on how the Colombian origin story can translate at shelf and give shoppers another reason to connect with the category.

“We're most looking forward to discussing partnership opportunities,” Michel said. “CAB's approach is collaborative: understanding what retailers and their shoppers need, then identifying where Avocados from Colombia can add value to their programs.”

That means conversations around supply mix and year-round availability, but it also means listening.

“We want to hear directly from retailers about what's working, where they see opportunities and what additional support they need,” Michel continued. “That feedback helps shape CAB’s priorities and ensures we continue developing programs and resources that provide meaningful value to the industry.”

Café Conversations

Before the show floor gets moving, CAB will also bring association members and industry partners together for its Annual Meeting on the morning of October 14. The gathering will review the organization’s progress, look toward priorities for the year ahead, and elect members to its Board of Directors.

Then, it’s back to the café.

With Colombian coffee pouring, orchard views filling Booth #3585, and another year of avocado conversations on deck, CAB is making its fifth IFPA appearance about more than looking back at how far the origin has come.

The team is ready to talk about where Avocados from Colombia can go next, and ANUK will be watching as those conversations continue to take root across the U.S. marketplace.