Avocado producer The Avocado Collective has, in recent years, flourished into a business capable of servicing export markets 52 weeks a year, a strategic shift that the collective's Wayne Robinson says has transformed the scale and reach of the operation.
"We've always been a Western Australian business," Robinson explains. "Over the past three years, we've really tried to develop and grow into what is a 52-week business, and this year is the first year that we've been able to bring our customers overseas our branded avocados 52 weeks."
© The Avocado Collective
That expansion has hinged on bringing Queensland Shepards online — a process Robinson says took patience, capital, and trust. The variety now plays a central role in bridging the seasonal gap between Western Australia and Queensland.
"It's been three years in the making," he says. "Year one was identifying those growers and building trust and confidence within that grower base. Year two was really taking that one step further and bringing their products to market and making sure that our import partners were happy with that quality. Then year three was having the confidence and trust within those partners to be able to open the floodgates."
The growth has been rapid. In the first year in Queensland, the business handled close to 100,000 trays. In year two, that climbed to about 450,000 to 500,000 trays. This year, Robinson says, volumes will reach close to 3.5 million trays. The collective now accounts for roughly a quarter of the Queensland avocado market.
Exports remain central to its strategy. And to succeed in tough overseas markets, quality control is the key. That starts at the farm.
"You make sure that you're dealing with reputable growers who are doing the right thing, growing the product the correct way, putting all the good inputs in that they need to grow a good-quality avocado that's going to last that distance in transit and still give a good consumer end result in market."
Demand is certainly there, with the collective exporting up to 40 per cent of its total crop. The company's footprint across Asia and the Middle East is already extensive.
"We're currently trading in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, UAE, and India, so seven countries consistently." But that isn't enough to satisfy Robinson, who is eyeing a North American market. "Next … I think Canada is going to be a really good opportunity. I see it as a growing market for avocados. They typically get the dregs of the season of what comes out of Mexico or Peru, so they don't really get a good premium product there. We're seeing shipping times and transit routes into Canada improving out of Australia, so that's really the next market we've got our eyes on, and I'm headed there in April to start to work on the market."
Talking of Mexico, it's a strong source of competition, depending on the market.
© The Avocado Collective
"We definitely have an advantage in some markets, and they have a disadvantage in some. The advantage for, say, Hong Kong is we've got short transit times, we've got better-quality products, so we've got a much creamier, nuttier, tastier avocado than typically you get out of Mexico."
Even in Japan, a more demanding market where Mexico holds a dominant position, there is still room for The Avocado Collective to gain traction with premium fruit. Robinson is not taking success for granted, however, and stresses that sustained growth depends on strong partnerships.
"It's all heavily driven by being a grower-focused business, really making sure that we're doing everything we can to take care of product from start to finish, from farm to consumer."
For more information:
Wayne Robinson
The Avocado Collective
Tel: +61 432 640 097
Email: [email protected]
www.theavocadocollective.com.au
