While some marketers need to rethink their Peruvian avocado strategy after last season, Index Fresh Inc. in Bloomington, CA, does not include itself in that group.

“We didn’t have any issues last year,” said Dana Thomas, president of this Southern California-based avocado operation.  “We had a plan and we stuck to it, and we are going to do the same thing this year.”

He explained that the Peruvian avocados that the company imports will fit into the company’s programmed sales just as the fruit from other points of origin does.  He said the size of the fruit, the geographic location of the customer and the merchandising needs of that customer will dictate the ultimate point of origin of the fruit. But in any event, the fruit will be pre-sold and not imported for speculation.

Thomas said avocados from Peru fit in very well and are imported through ports on the East Coast and West Coast as well as the Gulf Coast. Those three entry points allow the firm to service customers in all parts of the country with relatively short shipping times from all points of entry.

Peruvian avocados will fill all of the company’s normal packs and labels during the summer, including the principal “AvoTerra” brand, the organic label “AvoLoma,” and its newest entry, “AvoBuddies,” which is used for smaller fruit.  

Thomas said the organic program from Peru is new this season, and he characterized it as a “pilot program. We are very excited about it.”

He expects the size distribution from Peru to be perfect. “So far we are pleased with the size and the quality that we have seen,” he noted June 1, two weeks into the deal.

Like virtually the entire industry, Index will have Peruvian avocados in its arsenal through September. Thomas believes the avocados from this South American country will do well in the U.S. market, as he noted that avocados continue to be a growth item.  

“I am as excited about the prospects for increased sales in avocados as I was 20 to 25 years ago,” he said. “There is still lots of potential for more sales.”

Thomas admitted that in his wildest dreams two decades ago he could not foresee the volume of sales that the avocado industry currently enjoys in the United States, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of room for growth. 

“I remember when 5 million pounds was considered a big week,” he said. “And then we thought 20 million pounds per week was a huge number. Now we consistently sell 40 million pounds a week.”

But the longtime industry expert said there are still many non-users or casual users of avocados that can move into the heavy user category.

“There is still lots of potential left,” he reiterated. “As you can tell, I remain a big avocado booster.”