Australian avocado retail quality training in Malaysia

Avocados Australia’s KC Liew provides the full story below:

Training for Impact: Australian Avocados Ripen Retail Skills in Malaysia 
By KC Liew, General Manager – Southeast Asia, Avocados Australia Ltd

Australian avocados are steadily winning hearts (and taste buds) across Southeast Asia — but ensuring that creamy perfection arrives on the shelf takes more than just good logistics. That’s why Avocados Australia has launched a regional series of retail quality training workshops, kicking off in Malaysia with sessions for leading retailers AEON and Jaya Grocer on 13 and 15 May 2025.

These workshops mark the beginning of a broader initiative that will roll out across Singapore and Thailand, reinforcing Avocados Australia’s commitment to premium quality from orchard to outlet.

Sharpening Skills Where It Matters Most 

Retail teams are the final gatekeepers of fruit quality before it reaches consumers. These hands-on training sessions brought together store managers, produce supervisors, and quality control staff for a deep dive into best practices for handling, ripening, and merchandising avocados.

Participants gained practical knowledge in:

• Ripeness assessment – using sight and touch to gauge “just right” avocados
• Defect prevention – understanding how poor handling can lead to bruising and browning
• Smarter displays – learning stock rotation and merchandising techniques to reduce waste and boost appeal
• Customer education – equipping staff to confidently advise shoppers on storage, ripeness, and recipe use

“The training helped me understand how to check avocado quality and improve our display techniques,” shared Tikaram Oli, Sales Assistant at Jaya Grocer (LaLaport). “I learned new skills, like how sensitive avocados are to damage when dropped. It was very helpful — I’d love to attend more sessions like this in the future.”

From Classroom to Kitchen 

To tie everything together, the workshops featured a tasting session of avocado dishes drawn from Avocados Australia’s B2C campaigns — giving participants a delicious glimpse into how premium handling supports premium eating.

Highlights included:

🥗 Avocado Tofu Salad – light and fresh with a healthy punch
🍔 Pulled Chicken Slider with Avocado Mash – comfort food meets creamy indulgence
🌶️ Avocado Sambal on Fried Prawn Crackers – a bold local twist
🍮 Avocado Sago Gula Melaka – a tropical classic with a smooth surprise
🧃 Avocado Asamboi Drink – tangy, salty, and refreshingly unexpected

“I learned how to handle avocados from unripe to ripe, and how to improve our display in-store,” said Muhammad Badrulmunir, Team Leader at AEON Queensbay. “It was also useful to understand how sampling can attract customers and how to identify ripeness more confidently. Everything was well presented.”

A Strong First Harvest

Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive:

• 87.5% rated the training session Excellent, with the remaining 12.5% marking it Good
• 98.2% reported improved knowledge of Australian avocados (73.2% Excellent, 25% Good)
• 96.4% felt more confident handling and displaying avocados, with 71.4% giving the highest confidence score

“The session was very informative, and I gained valuable new knowledge,” said Aminahraz, Assistant Supervisor at Jaya Grocer (IOI Gardens). “The facilitator did an excellent job delivering the content clearly and engagingly in a bilingual manner.”

Growing Quality, Region by Region 

With Malaysia’s sessions complete, preparations are underway to deliver similar training in Singapore and Thailand. These workshops aren’t just about ripening fruit — they’re about ripening skills, standards, and market potential across Southeast Asia.

By investing in every link of the supply chain — from grower to grocer — Avocados Australia is helping ensure that Australian avocados continue to delight consumers, one perfectly handled fruit at a time.

This article is part of the 23 May 2025 edition of Guacamole, the enewsletter.

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