GLC continues to emphasize certifications

For Giovanni Cavaletto, the period from October to May is a great time of the year.

“For the next six or seven months, Mexico will be in the heart of its avocado season,” said the CEO of U.S.-based GLC Cerritos Inc., which is the sales arm for Grupo Aguacatero Los Cerritos. “We will be in peak production from now until early May.”

He noted that during the vast majority of this time frame, Mexico produces about 95 percent of the avocados sold in the United States. Grupo Aguacatero is located in the state of Jalisco with its 3,000 acres of avocados but it also sources the popular green fruit from Michoacan. He said the company’s Jalisco production gives buyers another source of supply, which is often needed to assure a continuous and steady flow of Mexico’s avocados to the U.S. market. He added that this past year in particular, Jalisco proved its worth as supplies from Michoacan got tight for several reasons and Jalisco packers were able to fill the gap.

Cavaletto said what sets the company apart is its adherence to the strict certification standards of both Global GAP and the Rainforest Alliance. In addition, the company sells a portion of its production under the Fair-Trade banner. He noted that virtually all the fruit GLC sells in the United States qualifies for these certifications, though not all fruit is sold under those umbrellas.

During the recent International Fresh Produce Association trade show held in Atlanta in mid-October, GLC held a couple of educational sessions to help inform the trade about these certifications and how the programs work.

“Both Fair-Trade and the Rainforest Alliance platforms are fantastic,” Giovanni said, noting that the causes do a lot of good work in the workers’ communities in Mexico.

He noted that GLC has been selling fruit under Fair-Trade banner for about half dozen years which has generated a good deal of funds that are channeled right back to the community through the Farmworker Committee established by the workers themselves to spend the funds on the projects they believe will best help their communities.

Cavaletto said the Fair-Trade certification does make a difference to a certain demographic of U.S. consumers who are willing to pay the premium. He added that in the past year the program has expanded and given the grower-shipper an opportunity to utilize a greater percentage of a tree’s fruit. “When they started the program six or seven years ago, the demand was limited to one size, but that is no longer the case; now we can sell Fair-Trade fruit of several different sizes and in bags as well.”

The Rainforest Alliance certification is also popular with some U.S. consumer according to the GLC executive, but that designation does not involve a specific premium earmarked for workers.

Cavaletto reiterated that all of Grupo Aquacatero’s Jalisco orchards that are part of its U.S. supply chain are certified. He added that about 40 percent of those 3,000 acres are populated with trees that are under four years old.

That means the yield cycle is on an upward trajectory and the company’s volume should increase annually in the foreseeable future.

Cavaletto said the certifications speak for themselves and signal to retailers the commitment the grower is making to the marketplace, the community in which it operates and its workers.