The Colombia Avocado Board is starting a new stage with the incorporation of Dr. Manuel Michel as its new CEO.
In his new role, Michel has set himself three goals. "The main goal is to continue publicizing and promoting Colombia's Hass avocado. 
Colombia is still a relatively new source of avocados when compared to other regions that produce avocados for export, but it is becoming one of the main suppliers of avocados in other global markets. At the same time, Colombia is entering a new stage where the volume shipped to the United States is going to increase faster. However, Colombia is not the only country that is exporting more avocado, so it is important that Colombia has effective marketing programs and relationships with specific buyers."
"Another important objective for the Colombia Avocado Board is to create and maintain a reputation for high-quality fruit that is also produced sustainably. It is important that the Colombia Avocado Board be a reliable partner for all stakeholders so our third objective relates very closely to the previous two. We must work very closely with Corpohass, Colombia's avocado industry, and with the Hass Avocado Board and the other avocado organizations and associations that already exist. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal, which is to maintain and increase avocado consumption in the United States."
According to Dr. Manuel Michel, the Colombian avocado is growing strongly in the United States. "Currently, Colombia sends between 1 and 2 million pounds of avocados per week, a volume that will continue to grow as our supply peaks in the coming months. Buyers are increasingly interested in expanding their options for avocado sources."
According to Dr. Manuel Michel, the volume of avocados that Colombia currently exports to the US market is similar to the volume it exported to this market last year. However, volumes are expected to increase in the remainder of the year and exceed last year's total volume. "In 2022, the US imported about 30 million pounds of Colombian avocados," he stated.
"We have been working since 2019, not only to get Colombian avocados approved for shipment to the US market but also to get more orchards and packing facilities certified so we can increase shipments. We are beginning to see the difference that 40 orchards make compared to more than 400 in terms of available volume."
For more information:
Colombia Avocado Board
https://avocadoscolombia.com
