Ripe and ready was the key focus of a promotional event held by peak industry body Avocados Australia in Malaysia recently.
Hosted by importer Euro-Atlantic and featuring nutritionist and media personality Alexandra Prabaharan, the event was the culmination of a multi-year project aimed at introducing ripe Australian avocados to Malaysian retail shelves.
Avocados Australia chief executive John Tyas said the event reiterated the main messages of the project and the nutritional benefits of avocados.
“One of the challenges that we have had from the start of the program was the reluctance of retailers to offer a ‘ripe’ product for consumers,” Tyas said.
“This reluctance is typically driven by the additional cost and risk in providing this offering. However, we have been able to convince some key retailers that there is a benefit of additional sales, warranting the investment in managing a ‘ripe’ offering and we are now starting to see the benefits of the work undertaken to date.”
The aptly named Ripe & Ready programme has been managed by Avocados Australia and funded through the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resource’s Package Assisting Small Exporters programme (PASE), along with leading Australian suppliers Sunfresh, the Avolution and the Avocado Export Company.
Tyas said this work was a key part of the industry’s development plan, as domestic production continued to grow.
“Competition from other countries is only increasing in our export markets and the requirement for servicing the market with the highest quality product is now greater than ever,” he explained.
“This is why the entire Australian avocado supply chain is working to make sure we get export right, including a focus on high-quality fruit. It is so important for the prosperity of our industry as we move into a higher supply environment.”
