Mexico: Cupanda explores the U.S. market in search of contacts

Cupanda, founded 59 years ago, is a Common Sales Cooperative made up of 261 members, avocado growers from the Tacámbaro region, Michoacán, which has 796 hectares of crops that yield 6.200 tons annually. They also have a packing plant from which they make shipments to various domestic and international destinations.

Currently, Cupanda's main export destinations are Central America, Canada, and occasionally to Europe, where it had a strong presence three years ago. According to J. Obelleiro Carbajal, CEO of the Company, Europe is a good market, it has a good demand, and the Mexican avocados, as in many other places, have a good reputation both for their quality and plant health.

In terms of quality and food safety, some producers use risk reduction systems (RRS) so as to able to export to the U.S. and others are certified as organic producers while another group of producers, as well as the fresh packing plant, are certified by Global GAP.

In addition, the firm also has an avocado processor, which was opened two years ago, to process guacamole by subjecting the fruit to high pressure treatment (HPT), thus assuring the safety of the products. The company currently exports guacamole to Holland and Spain but hopes to consolidate other destinations such as the US and Japan. Cupanda's processing plant has been audited so it can be certified as KOSHER, by HACCP, and is in the process of getting the BRC certification for Europe, thereby ensuring that their products meet international standards of quality and safety.

In order to facilitate promotion, the Mexican government invited the Company to participate in trade missions abroad allowing the company to gain a strong presence in international fairs. It was an opportunity in which the company met with potential buyers, made sales via email and started to prepare a catalogue of products (guacamole, pulp, slices , etc. ) in several languages ( English , French etc).

Cupanda will attend the next edition of the PMA fair, as part of the Mexican pavilion, to be held in New Orleans from October 18 to the 20 " Currently, we don't export to the US, so we're attending the PMA in search of contacts so that we can enter our products, both fresh and processed, into the market." concluded J. Obelleiro Carbajal.