“For us, it’s really a key show,” said Donny Lucy, vice president and co-owner of Del Rey Avocado. “We get to see a lot of those customers in a two-, three-day span, and a lot of them attend the show. It’s probably the most efficient show of the year for us in that regard.”
Del Rey Avocado schedules its annual Christmas party in connection with the event, visits Hunts Point Produce Market, conducts store checks and meets with produce managers, and visits with foodservice distributors in the city.
“We get to see what’s happening in one of the epicenters of food in the world,” Lucy said. “Whether it’s Hunts Point or restaurants, you have so many different people and cultures coming together.”
The company is a sponsor of the New York Produce Show, and will have informational videos about Del Rey on the shuttle buses.
Del Rey Avocado has a year-round supply, with fruit from California, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia. Distribution, ripening and packing facilities are in San Diego; Pharr, TX; Pompano Beach, FL; Chicago and Vineland.
Lucy said the company is heavily focused on California fruit, and Del Rey counts the Northeast as a strong buyer of California avocados due to the quality of the fruit and consistency of the supply in spring and summer.
“We’re definitely big advocates of seasonality,” Lucy said. “We’re trying to get fruit when it’s at its best tasting, best quality. Obviously, Mexico can go just about 52 weeks out of the year, but there are different windows where California fruit is really, really good, or Colombian. Peru has a nice window, too. So we leverage those windows with quality, but also with consistency of supply,” he said.
With weather and natural disasters affecting production areas, the distribution centers allow Del Rey Avocado to ensure customers have a guaranteed supply of quality fruit.
“Having those DCs and having the ability to put fruit from four or five countries of origin in a DC, is why we’re very relevant in the avocado space,” Lucy said.
Recent wildfires in California, driven by strong winds, will reduce production in the region he said, from fire damage and fruit drop from the winds.
“The fires were in a very strong region in terms of avocado plantations,” he said. “The total loss hasn’t been tabulated, so I don’t want to throw a number out there. It’s going to affect the crop, no doubt about it. Fortunately, we’re walking into what most believe is a large crop.”
A new bagging machine will be installed at the Vineland facility, which will allow Del Rey Avocado the option to pack in 100 percent recycled bags. It will join eight other baggers at the facility that don’t have that ability. The company added two Thermal Tech ripening rooms there a couple of years ago.
“We continue to upgrade our facilities to make sure we’re staying up with the technology out there,” Lucy said.
