Pharr, TX-based Villita Avocados Inc. was preparing to receive its first load of U.S.-bound avocados from the Mexican state of Jalisco in late June, which will help the longtime company double its volume.

“Villita has been a grower and a fully integrated importer of Hass avocados from Mexico for the past 30 years,” said Executive Vice President Rob Ybarra. “We are a family-owned company and one of the top five U.S. importers of Mexican avocados.”

He noted that industry veteran Alfredo Rodriguez Sr. serves as CEO with his two children – Alfredo Rodriguez Jr. as chief financial officer and Laura Rodriguez as vice president of human resources and marketing – also in senior management position. His wife, also named Laura, is the co-founder of the company. The parent company is Agroexport.

Ybarra said harvesting of the Jalisco avocados for export to the United States began the week of June 26. This is the first full season in which Jalisco avocados have been granted access to the lucrative U.S. market.

“We are going to start with about 20 loads per week from our Jalisco packing shed and quickly ramp up to 70 loads per week,” said Ybarra, noting that Villita also imports about 70 loads per week from its Michoacan packing facility.

He said the two Mexican states offering robust production will give Villita a more robust, year-round Mexico avocado program. He added that the Jalisco season typically starts with volume in May and runs into October. “For Michoacan, the season begins in July and runs year-round but the peak is November, December and January,” he said.

In actually, he said both the Jalisco and Michoacan packing sheds will be operating 12 months of the year but there will be natural ebbs and flows with the volume of fruit. From February through May, Jalisco is at its lowest production, but Michoacan typically has very good volume in that time frame.

Discussing the avocado marketing situation with The Produce News June 27, Ybarra said the market took a jump in the FOB price over the previous 10 days, but he was expecting it to return to a more stable situation within a couple of weeks. He noted that fruit from both Jalisco and Peru would be in the U.S. market in much bigger numbers in July, which should result in a more steady pricing situation. “Last week, the prices all skyrocketed but Jalisco will help stabilize the market,” he said.

He added that large fruit is still at a premium as the size curve is still skewing toward the smaller fruit. In the early part of the Jalisco deal, Ybarra said there will be more supplies of small fruit, which will offer retailers great promotional opportunities. He added that number twos with some outside scarring but great flesh will be especially promotable. “I call them nature’s beauty marks,” he quipped.

Ybarra believes the Jalisco fruit will find its spot in the marketplace especially as an alternative to Peruvian avocados, which typically have their peak in the U.S. market during the summer months. “The proof is in the taste,” he said. “We ship our fruit with 23 percent dry matter. Dry matter does matter. I believe Mexico avocados taste better than those from Peru.”

On June 28, Ybarra updated The Produce News on the first arrival of Jalisco fruit into the Pharr, TX facility. “It will be here this afternoon,” he exclaimed in late morning of that day. “This is a great watershed moment for Villita Avocados.”

Photo: Alfredo Rodriguez Sr.