Training our export partners to appreciate Australian avocados

Avocados Australia is working with Australian exporters and partners in Singapore and Malaysia to develop training for supply chain parties in these countries.

“Our aim is to ensure Australian avocados are reaching consumers in the best condition and are ‘ready to eat’, said John Tyas, CEO Avocados Australia.

“Our intent is to build the presence of Australian avocados by offering a consistent ‘ready to eat’ offering in these markets. We know from market research in other countries that providing ‘ready to eat’ fruit for consumers can have a significant increase on product sales.

“Apart from building and testing the processes to deliver a ‘ready to eat’ product with selected supply chain parties and retailers in these markets, we also want to evaluate how the market responds to a program and if we see the increase in sales that is evident in other markets. Feedback from the market indicates that there is demand for ripe to eat fruit at retail, so it will be good to test this demand.

“The training material currently being developed builds on previous industry work and will target importers, ripeners, wholesalers and retailers. It aims to build the skills of these supply chain parties in handling and ripening ‘ready to eat’ avocados so that so they are managed and presented in the best possible condition for consumers.


In addition to the training material, an Industry Export Manual is being developed to capture the process and procedures that growers and packers need to adopt to underpin successful export. The Manual focuses on the production, harvesting, handling practices, cool chain maintenance, packing, transporting and quality requirements relevant to export trade.

As supply volumes increase in coming years it is more important than ever that the Australian industry begins to build export markets and robust supply chains to support these markets. To position Australian product at the premium end of the market there is a need to ensure that we are meeting customer requirements in terms of quality and convenience – and having a ‘ready to eat’ product available in the market is an important part of the offering.

These market development activities are being funded as part of a project being funded by the Australian Government’s Package Assisting Small Exporters Program and the Avocado Export Company, Sunfresh and The Avolution.

Author: Jenny Margetts
Date Published: 12/05/2017