Markets appear to be up in arms about the shortage of Hass avocados and the available fruit is priced astronomically high. Meanwhile greenskin avocados, a smaller, more niche market, have also seen lower yields and prices are only moderately higher.
Brooks Tropicals grows greenskin avocados on 3,000 acres in South Florida, which are marketed from June through February. “We’re past the peak of our season now and this year we’ve been dealing with a relatively short crop,” said Bill Brindle VP of Sales at Brooks Tropicals. “El Nino weather patterns resulted in a smaller than normal crop and although we have seen an uptick in demand since the supply shortage of Hass avocados we are not really in a position to provide the market with extra avocados.”
Pricing for greenskin avocados have remained relatively low compared to the $80 - $100 per box Hass pricing. “I heard rumors of those types of prices at PMA last week. In the last three weeks our prices have gone up about 20%” Brindle said, “noting that a double layer box of greenskin avocados sells for about $20 this time of year, but is now priced at $24. We are seeing a slight price increase due to demand but it is also a factor of our shorter crop. We’re trying to equitably distribute our remaining crop to our best customers.”
California also grows greenskin avocados. However there is very little competition between Florida and California on this item because of the wide geographic spread; Brooks Tropicals sells the majority of their fruit on the east coast while the California growers primarily sell on the west coast.
For more information
Bill Brindle
Brooks Tropicals, LLC
Ph: 305 247-3544