Index Fresh’s Mexican program continues to grow at 10 to 15 percent per year
Index Fresh’s Mexican program continues to grow at 10 to 15 percent per year
“We have been growing in Mexico at a nice steady pace and will continue to grow at that pace, probably around 10 to 15 percent a year,” said Dana Thomas, president of Index Fresh Inc. in Riverside, CA, Oct. 21. “Our plan will be to continue with that.”
That rate of growth is “right in the same range” as the continuing growth for avocados in the U.S. market, a pace that Thomas expects to continue due to “the way chefs are getting behind it, the nutritional information, and the fact that it is high in the consciousness of the produce consumer,” Thomas said. “I feel like every time I turn on the television or the radio or look at newspaper, there is some good news about avocados.”
As demand for avocados in the U.S. market increases, “the level of avocados that is moving into the U.S. market to meet that demand has also increased. That allows retailers, especially, to continue to feature avocados and do promotions,” he said.
Dana ThomasThe 2013-14 Mexican avocado crop started out lighter than last year, when production “was weighted heavier to the front end,” Thomas said. “But I think we are already through that light period,” and Mexican volume was strong “moving now into the heart of the season.” There was the potential for Mexico to ship “significant volumes through the remainder of October and throughout the months of November through February,” continuing with good volume well into spring.
Index Fresh had already finished its California season, Thomas said. “We finished last week.” Mexico currently accounted for “about two-thirds to three-fourths of our volume at this point. The rest is coming from Chile.”
Quality out of Mexico has been good, he said. “We have had no quality issues at all this year at Index.”
Fruit size has been good, “and by good I mean it has been a fairly normal size curve,” predominantly 60s, 48s and 40s.
Mexico may continue with good volume later in the season next spring than it did in 2013 “for a couple of reasons,” one being that Mexico will have more fruit available through the middle and end of the season. But “in addition, I think we are going to have a significantly smaller California crop” in 2014 than in 2013, “and that is going to leave a window open longer” for bigger volume from Mexico,” Thomas said.
Mexico is “the largest shipper of avocados,” he said, “And they’re going to have a big impact in the spring.” He expected Chile and Mexico to share the U.S. market through April and possibly May, with California getting started during that time frame and Peruvian fruit also starting to come in.
