“My father didn’t have formal training in avocado genetics, but he had an agronomy background and spent a lot of time walking the fields and gaining expertise with avocados,” she said. “He identified a specific variety of Hass avocado that would excel in taste and yield from the tree, and that has contributed to our growth in becoming the vertically integrated company we are today.”
Villaseñor said vertical integration is the key to La Bonanza’s success, as it has helped the company maintain control of all aspects of its business.
She said while La Bonanza has built a name and well-known brand in Mexico, importing directly to the United States is relatively new for La Bonanza, and the company has been working very hard to build a following. Villaseñor said her father has been leading that effort.
“My father’s motto is ‘We need to find a way to say yes’,” said Villaseñor, referring to La Bonanza’s willingness to accommodate customer requests. “He is such a hard worker and a very positive person, and is willing to overcome all challenges to lead La Bonanza to be the best version it can be as a company.”
Adding to that, Villaseñor said La Bonanza always strives to provide the best quality fruit possible for its customers. In fact, it bought an avocado pulp processing plant two years ago, in part so it could supply foreign markets with the highest quality product while avoiding the pitfalls that are possible with shipping to distant locations.
“We utilize our own quality fruit to process avocado pulp products for our customers,” she said. “We started it for our customers in Japan, where there is much demand for our brand. There is so much waste with the fresh fruit due to the long transit time overseas, so guacamole products help fulfill that demand for avocados in locations where it’s more challenging to send fresh.”
Villaseñor added that La Bonanza can customize the flavor profile of its guacamole to meet the preferences of a particular market. For example, customers in the Middle East prefer a more savory flavor profile, and La Bonanza adds spices like paprika to meet that preference, while the Asian market likes guacamole with a sweeter flavor profile for use in the flavored teas that are so popular in that market.
Villaseñor officially joined La Bonanza in a full-time role in September 2023 as vice president of commercial business, representing the third generation of Villaseñors, but she has actually been involved in the family business for much longer.
“I worked part time at La Bonanza when I was younger, and I have attended trade shows with my father since I was 10 years old,” she said. “I have been studying English since primary school, so I would often serve as translator for my dad at business meetings. My mom’s side of the family are growers, so they also are involved with avocados. I developed an appreciation for avocados at a young age, and I am proud to now be involved and representing the company to the industry.”
Villaseñor added that she is especially proud to be among the wave of female produce industry professionals who are rising up the ranks.
“It’s really not that way in Mexico, so I am happy to be part of the movement and I hope that more women continue to become more involved in this dynamic produce industry,” she said.
Villaseñor said her first year at La Bonanza was a challenging one due to the abnormalities of the season.
“I survived a difficult first year, because last year was very dry in Mexico and the crops suffered a lot,” she said. “The lack of water last year greatly affected the blooms this year, with very little crop available from May through July.”
Additionally, she noted that the border temporarily closed due to political reasons, so shipments were interrupted for 15 days resulting in the significant loss of fruit.
“This was my first real test because customers needed fruit, but it wasn’t available,” said Villaseñor. “It was a learning experience because I realized things happen in this industry that are sometimes of our control, but I also learned what an advantage it is to be a vertically integrated company, which helped to minimize our losses.”
For the upcoming season, Villaseñor said it is too early to predict actual volume, but due to growing cycles, La Bonanza expects to have a normal, but not banner, crop.
“I feel confident that we will be able to offer the best fruit possible, as we put a lot of time and hard work into producing our crop,” she said.
