There’s life beyond the hass avocado

Although the U.S. market deals in multiple avocado varieties, the overwhelming consumer favorite remains the Hass avocado at 95 percent of market participation.

Some Latin consumers prefer various green-skinned varieties imported from the Dominican Republic or Florida.

Florida’s green-skinned varieties typically reach high prices in June and low prices in August.

In June 2016, they hit $3.87 per kilogram, 11 percent higher than the ever-popular Hass avocado.

After this period, the contraction in supply generated higher Hass prices while green-skinned variety prices remained in their seasonal price range, reaching a low of $1.65 per kilogram in August 2016, a 60 percent variation from June.

For 2017, June prices almost reached their typical high point due to supply fluctuations, then spiked to $3.31 per kilogram, 66 percent higher than 2016.

Other avocado varieties like Bacon and Lamb Hass—which only sell in the summer months and have a very small niche market—earn pricing relatively close to Hass avocados in July but have lower prices in September.

This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.