Index Fresh, which is expecting to hit peak California avocado harvest in May and June, has upgraded its packing equipment in California as well as its ripening facilities in Texas as it heads to the start of the season.

“Prior to the California season start, we upgraded our sizer equipment and installed a new Spectrum Vision Sort machinery to help streamline and improve our California packing processes,” said Debbie Willmann, vice president of sales.

In April, as the California avocado industry enters its peak shipping period, Del Rey Avocado Company is planning to roll out a new bag that specifically touts the Golden State origin of the fruit.

Bagged avocados as a value buy at retail have been increasing almost exponentially over the past few years, and that trend should continue, according to Peter Shore, vice president of product management for Calavo Growers Inc., Santa Paula, CA.

“There should be a great market this year featuring California bagged avocados,” Shore said. “We see the bagged category as being very important to us for both conventional and organic fruit.”

Although the California avocado crop is smaller than last year, the 2023 marketing situation is much different than in 2022, and moving this year’s volume through the supply chain will create its own challenges. That seems to be the overarching view of several grower-shippers interviewed on the subject.

“The California avocado season is off to a slow start,” said Patrick Lucy, president of Del Rey Avocado Co. in Fallbrook, CA. “Because of the weather – we’ve had weeks of rain and wet groves – there has been a delay in the harvest.”

Preliminarily, Monterey County officials and agricultural experts have indicated that crop losses from the torrential rains that have hit the Salinas Valley this year could easily top $500 million.

Those numbers are just guesstimates with no expectation that a final figure will be available for several months. What seems to be certain, however, is that crop losses are significant and the vegetable market will soon be feeling the effects with much higher prices.

With most of Monterey County already dealing with significant impacts from a series of rainstorms, today (March 13) the area was bracing for another atmospheric river that is expected to dump even more rain on the deluged county tonight.