Phil Henry of Henry Avocado dies at 80
Phil Henry of Henry Avocado dies at 80
Philip Henry, who served as president of the Henry Avocado Corp. in Escondido, CA, since the early 2000s, died June 30 of natural causes.
Mr. Henry was born in Long Beach, CA, on June 23, 1945 and grew up in the area, graduating from Cal State University at Long Beach in 1968. While his first cousins, Gil and Warren Henry, had an avocado growing, packaging and shipping operation in Escondido, that was not a career Phil Henry was expecting to enter. However, in the late 1970s, Mr. Henry expanded his own opportunities by studying for and receiving a real estate license. Soon he was specializing in agricultural real estate and began working with Henry Avocado on real estate deals. He eventually joined the company, making his mark as the soft-spoken industry representative for the company, cementing Henry Avocado’s respected place in the global avocado arena.
Vic Varvel, who is the new president at Henry Avocado, revealed that Mr. Henry “was employed by Henry Avocado Corp. for 40 plus years, about 15 of which he served us as president.”
Varvel noted that the company just completed a reorganization of its leadership, promoting two of its long-term employees to the positions of co-CEO. “They are Chris Varvel and Jon Ullrich. They will report directly to our board of directors, of which I will a serve as president,” he said.
Celebrating its 100th anniversary early this year, Henry Avocado was founded in 1925 by Charles and Florence Henry, who were among the first to plant avocados in California’s San Diego County. Their sons Gil and Warren joined the company after Gil’s service in World War II and Warren’s service in the Korean War. After their father was fatally injured in an accident on the farm in 1953, Gil took on the responsibility for packing and marketing, Warren handled farming and planting new groves, while their mother continued to do the accounting.
Gil Henry was president of the company until he retired in the early 2000s, eventually turning over the reins to Phil Henry. Gil remained an active avocado grower until his death in 2013. Phil Henry only recently reduced his duties.
At his death, he was still part of the managing owners group, which included Phil Henry in administration and planning, Don Hoey in sales, Rick Opel in grower consulting and Vic Varvel in operations and facilities.
Xavier Equihua, president and CEO of the Peruvian Avocado Commission, had known Mr. Henry on both a personal and professional level, and said his passing is a great loss for the avocado category and indeed the produce industry at large.
“I first met Phil in the 1990s when I was the chief trade and economic advisor to the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee,” said Equihua. “I was invited on a tour of California agriculture during the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) debate, and one of the stops was to an avocado orchard and packinghouse owned by Henry Avocado. I stayed with Phil and his lovely wife, Kathy, at their home in Rancho Santa Fe and remained friends ever since. He was just such a gentleman and a pleasure to be around.”
Equihua said when the Hass Avocado Promotion and Research Information Order was enacted in 2002, the very first association to operate under the new program was the Chilean Avocado Importers Association. As president, Equihua was charged with naming a chairman and he looked no further than Mr. Henry.
“The first person I called was Phil, and he agreed to serve as CAIA’s first chairman,” said Equihua. “There was no better person for the role because in many ways Phil was a visionary for the avocado industry. This was during a time when most other California growers were not supportive of imports, but Phil understood the importance of looking at things on a global level. He was also an early supporter of Peru when that origin was entering the market. Phil realized that the diversification of the category is what would bring growth.”
