Delcado avocados are grown near the small, historic timber town of Pemberton, in the southern forests of Western Australia. “The ideal climate here in Pemberton allows us to leave our Delcados on the trees for almost twice as long as other avocados”, said Suzie Delroy, second generation avocado grower.
Suzie's parents planted their first orchard in Pemberton in 1988, starting with five hectares. Today they have more than 340 hectares, which is around 180,000 – 190,000 avocado trees.
Delcados are slow-grown and spend 12 to 16 months maturing on the tree to develop their unique taste and then delivered to stores as quickly as possible to ensure maximum freshness. Delcados were launched on the market two years ago.
“The slow-growing provides time for the natural oils in the fruit to mature and for the Delcado to soak in the goodness from the rich Karri loam soil and pristine surrounds. Nothing tastes like them.
"Only our very best avocados become Delcados. We’ve spent 30 years perfecting a slow-growing technique to give consumers a better avocado. Our fruit spends from 12 to 16 months on the tree, almost twice as long as other avocados. This allows the oils to truly mature and helps to develop that richer, creamier Delcado taste."
Even once it’s picked, every part of a Delcado’s journey is carefully managed to ensure it is the freshest and best-quality avocado. This includes using near infrared technology, to check the internal quality of a Delcado before it leaves the packing shed.
The Delcado avocado season runs from from mid-October to January.
“After last year’s bumper crop, this season will be a smaller season. We’re expecting to hand-pick around 27 million Delcados, that’s enough to satisfy everyone’s Delcado cravings through the Christmas break and for most of the summer,” said Suzie.
“By consistently providing a better avocado and guaranteeing the quality of our fruit, we hope it reduces the need for shoppers to excessively thumb test in store.”
Export
"We’ve been focussing on the Australian market since launching the Delcado brand in 2020, but we’ve had strong interest from several international markets. For us, the most important thing will be delivering on the quality associated with Delcados. Getting the international supply chain right and working with the right partners who share our vision will be critical for success. We’re currently exploring these opportunities."
To celebrate the new season, chef Mark Best has shared his Delcado tasting notes and bespoke flavour wheel. Applying the same principles used for tasting wine or coffee, Mark Best’s Delcado flavour wheel aims to help avo-lovers pinpoint the fruit’s distinctive taste, aroma and texture.
"This season’s Delcado has a lovely, buttery texture and an aroma almost like a lime going into green cashews. Just the freshness of it is incredible. On the palate, a Delcado has a citrus notes that evolve into a slight hint of green banana. There’s a bit of an acid finish, which complements the richness of the oils - it is absolutely delicious.”
Delcados will be available nationally from mid-October through to the end of January at ALDI, Coles, Woolworths nationally, Harris Farm Markets in NSW, Bunbury Farmers Market in WA and all good
greengrocers. Look for the navy and gold Delcado sticker.
For more information on Delcados visit www.delcado.com.au
