The global avocado production in 2018 was already record-breaking, but the World Avocado Organization (WAO) again predicts an ON year for all producing countries in 2020, and the prospect is that new records will be broken.
Avocado plantations in La Axaquía, in Málaga.
Avocado consumption in the European Union grew by 35% in 2018, with about 650,000 tons sold, according to the WAO, which recently organized a press meeting in Malaga, Spain. This non-profit organization expects avocado sales to reach 750,000 tons by 2020 and to exceed 1,000,000 tons by 2021. Although these consumption figures are still low compared to those in the North American market, the entity believes that the EU could equal them within 8 years.
Spain, which has managed to produce approximately 55,000 tons of avocados in the campaign that is now coming to an end, has a per capita consumption of around 1 kg; half that of France and the United Kingdom, and 3 times lower than in Scandinavian countries like Norway and Denmark. In order to give avocado consumption a boost in the Spanish market, the WAO will invest 1 million Euro in actions at large retailers. The aim is to match the level of French consumers.
From left to right, Iñaki Romaza, of the research center IHSM La Mayora; Enrique Colilles, president of Trops, Xavier Equihua, president of the WAO, and Juan Antonio Reyes, manager of Reyes Gutiérrez.
"We hope that Spain can become a great consumer of avocados," said Xavier Equihua, president of the WAO. "Spaniards tend to be conservative with their shopping list. Our goal is to introduce avocados in the Mediterranean diet. The fruit is the trendiest agricultural product; in fact, it is the most popular one on Instagram. Its consumption is growing because it is a delicious, healthy and versatile food product," he said.
Founded in 2016, the WAO brings 9 avocado producing countries together (Mexico, Peru, the United States, Colombia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania and Spain) and also acts as representative for several trading countries, such as The Netherlands, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden. For now, it aims to promote the consumption of this fruit at a generic level. Spain was the last producing country to join in, and it currently has two unique producing and marketing companies, namely the Trops cooperative, which cultivates more than 40% of the total Spanish avocado acreage, and the family business Reyes Gutiérrez, which accounts for approximately 10%.
"The first company to join the WAO was Trops and we decided to also become part of the project as soon as they invited us. We would love it if other Spanish companies in the sector followed through, as it would help boost the growth of avocado consumption," says Juan Antonio Reyes Gutiérrez, manager of Reyes Gutiérrez. For his part, Enrique Colilles, president of Trops, appreciated the incorporation of his colleague to this common project, since "there is no national organization in Spain representing the entire sector and capable of carrying out such initiatives."
Given the still huge lack of knowledge about this fruit in Europe, the WAO has created the brand AGUACATE, featuring the slogan "The Fruit of Life", which will be on the labels in more than 6 languages in several countries. In Spain, the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilbao, will launch the promotional campaign, while Carrefour and Eroski will distribute thousands of grocery bags with the Avocado logo. For its part, Mercadona, working hand in hand with Trops, will also introduce the brand on its shelves.
In the coming days, we will publish more articles dealing with avocado production in Spain, talking about its challenges, objectives and trends, including FreshPlaza's visit to the Trops and Reyes Gutiérrez headquarters.