The 2012-13 Mexican avocado program at Mission Produce Inc. in Oxnard, CA, will differ from that of 2011-12 in basically just one regard, and that is continued growth, according to Ross Wileman, vice president of sales and marketing.

“We keep expanding down there iRoss Wilemann volume,” Mr. Wileman said. “Things are good for Mission.”

The company’s Mexican avocado volume also increased last year over the prior year. In anticipation of that growth, two years ago the company expanded its avocado packing facility in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico, putting in new equipment on the packingline, including new sizers, and also increased cooling capacity coming into the 2010-11 season.

The 2012-13 harvest was underway when The Produce News talked to Mr. Wileman Sept. 28.

“We are just completing, this week or next week, the Flora Loca season,” an off-bloom crop that precedes the start of the main new crop and which was unusually large this year, he said.

“It looks to be about 140 million pounds we ran through,” Mr. Wileman said. “In the next week or so, we will start the Aventajada, which is the new crop. From all reports we hear, the crop is equal to last year, if not somewhat larger. I think it is going to be a very good season again, with good supplies.”

California, which had a larger crop this year than last, was still shipping fruit but was beginning to wind down. “Once California is through, which will be in the next two to three weeks, [Mexico] will probably represent 85 percent of our business” until the 2013 California crop gets started again next February or March, he said.

“I still have some Chilean support coming in, and this year some New Zealand fruit,” Mr. Wileman said. “But the majority of it is going to be Mexican.”

Fruit sizing during the early season will trend “towards the smaller sizes — 48s and smaller,” he said. “But it will grow as the season progresses.”

To date, “we have had good acceptance of Flora Loca this year,” Mr. Wileman said. While the main crop had not yet started, “reports are good” with regard to the quality of that fruit as well.

Mission’s marketing programs for the fall and winter season were “pretty much set in place” and will be “just a continuation of previous years,” he said. “I think retail has enjoyed lower prices for the last year” than during the previous year when supplies were lighter, and “that should remain stale” over the next several months, he said. “It will give them an opportunity to really promote avocados.”

The company has built its avocado programs “based on the future, and we are well established,” Mr. Wileman said. “We see, for the foreseeable future, good supplies and great opportunities to promote avocados. Consumption continues to grow at about 10 percent a year,” largely because of “the great nutritional value” of the product.