Continental Fresh has been attending Viva Fresh for the past four years, but 2022 was the first time it exhibited at the show. Things went so well the Miami-based company will be back in 2023 at booth No. 100. The company specializes in tropical imports from Latin America — especially mangos — servicing retail, foodservice, wholesale and process customers throughout the United States.

Although the California avocado crop is smaller than last year, the 2023 marketing situation is much different than in 2022, and moving this year’s volume through the supply chain will create its own challenges. That seems to be the overarching view of several grower-shippers interviewed on the subject.

“The California avocado season is off to a slow start,” said Patrick Lucy, president of Del Rey Avocado Co. in Fallbrook, CA. “Because of the weather – we’ve had weeks of rain and wet groves – there has been a delay in the harvest.”

Del Rey Avocado is the official avocado partner of the San Diego Padres for the 2023 MLB season. With both Padres and Del Rey Avocado founded in 1969 and named after Latin references, the partnership was a match made in sunny California heaven.

The Hass Avocado Board is shifting its successful webinar series to an on-demand platform, making access to supply and market data more convenient for stakeholders as the industry grows. Beginning with the first presentation of 2023, Rethinking Retail: Regional Category Development Drivers, it is now easier for industry leaders to fit strategic downloads relevant to critical decisions into their busy schedules.

In honor of International Women’s Day, the California Avocado Commission, which represents growers farming on about 50,000 acres in the state, is sharing profiles of some female avocado farmers to showcase the role of women in the industry. As with all farming, women have long been active in growing California avocados. Many California avocado growers come from multi-generational farming families, and with generational transitions happening, increasingly women are taking on avocado grove management and ag industry leadership roles.