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PHOTOS COURTESY OF MISSION PRODUCE
Mission Produce has tried to appeal to wide range of customers who demand different levels of ripeness from their avocados by launching a “Ready in a Couple of Days” and “Ready Tonight” program for retailers.
marketing at Del Monte Fresh Produce of Coral Gables, FL, says although some retailers may see benefit in providing consumers with harder, less-ripe fruit, consumers’ needs should “always be a key factor in the decision-making process.”
“While less-ripe fruit can help with shrink, displaying less-ripe fruit can also reduce sales, as consumers increasingly desire fruit that is ready to eat now,” he says, clarifying the company is still equipped to supply both green, unripened and ripened avocados to customers.
Christou says most major retailers have ripening rooms, which is not a new trend and likely will continue.
“As business continues to grow, additional ripening rooms are typically added to supply demand,” he says.
Del Monte partners with several large retailers to exclusively supply ripening personnel and services within the custom- er’s own facilities and ripening rooms. But as a major player in bananas where ripening is essential, it also has its own ripening rooms.
“We find that for 99% of the banana business, ripening is non-negotiable,” says Christou. “However, there is a small percentage of unripened bananas that are sold to meet the needs of specific consumers who use them green for cooking.”
As bananas and avocados have different respiration rates, they have not been tradi- tionally compatible. But Del Monte has gotten innovative to challenge the orthodoxy.
“Over the past three years, Del Monte Fresh Produce has installed several new ripening rooms at various facilities across North America,” explains Christou. “These new rooms are “multi-fruit” rooms that are capable of ripening both bananas and avocados.”
FRUITS GAINING TRACTION
Kihlstadius of Produce Technical Services says the mango industry right now is in a
“Avocados still have a problem — there are a lot of people who want to keep avocados in the refrigerator, and they should never go below 40°F no matter what the shipper’s box says,” he explains. “The science says they turn black inside around the pit if you keep them too cold, and for mangos it’s 50°F.
“There are a lot of people who treat avocados at too high a temperature and then they want to cool it down to too low a temperature, and that causes chilling injury. It can literally shock the fruit.”
MIXING IT UP
Banking on consumer preferences for a mix of ripeness levels, Mission Produce of Oxnard, CA, has launched its “Ready” elevated ripening and merchandising program for avocados.
Denise Junqueiro, Mission’s director of marketing, says retailers that have run the program — giving consumers the option between “Ready in a Couple of Days” and
“Ready Tonight” — have seen more than 50 percent average weekly lifts in sales.
“We discovered, because of the everyday use, consumers need multistage ripe avocados in their homes to enjoy them through the week,” she says. “Before that, consumers would maybe end up with overripe avocados or avocados that are not ripe enough for their needs.”
“It is always recommended that produce managers stay engaged with the program and rotate fruit from the Stage 2 on the shelves as it becomes ready to give consumers the best experience.”
This consumer preference is also noted by John Vena, president of John Vena Inc., based in Philadelphia.
“For retailers, it seems that an avocado program that offers both pre-conditioned and green fruit, supported by trained store asso- ciates, will move the most fruit and provide higher customer satisfaction levels,” says Vena.
Dionysios Christou, vice president of
“There are a lot of people who treat avocados at too high a temperature and then they want to cool it down to too low a temperature, and that causes chilling injury. It can literally shock the fruit.”
— Dennis Kihlstadius, owner of Produce Technical Services 48 / JUNE 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS