Europe’s growing appetite for avocadoes has Mission Produce optimistic about capturing further market share across the continent.
The leading avocado marketer has invested heavily in developing its operations in the region since launching its sales and distribution entity – Mission Produce Europe (MPE) – in Breda, Netherlands in 2012. Over this time it has seen consumption of the fruit grow steadily, with signs equally as promising for the future.
“European avocado consumption has never been higher, but there is much more room for growth,” said Pedro Hevia, Misson Produce’s EU sales manager. “The potential is there, especially as European shoppers continue to learn about the health benefits of this tremendous fruit.”
A key to MPE's market development has been the construction of avocado-specific ripening rooms at its Breda headquarters.
Compared to banana ripening rooms, avocado ripening rooms have greater cooling capacities. Hevia said removing heat from an avocado was essential to preserving quality and shelf-life. The addition of 24-hour monitoring controls also help to prevent fruit shrink and dehydration.
Mission’s supply and operations manager, Bruno Astuto, said the company’s use of market leading ripening techniques provided it with the ability to supply ripe fruit to European customers year-round.
“Our avocado ripening rooms allow us to service the ‘ready-to-eat’ market in Europe, in addition to supplying consistent volume from Peru, Mexico, Chile, Kenya, Morocco, Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Guatemala,” Astuto explained.
To help support its growth in Europe, MPE has added ten new members to its team over the past three years. A number of team members will travel to Madrid later this month to attend Fruit Attraction.
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